By
SRI SWAMI CHIDANANDA
A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION
Second Edition: 1991
(3,000 copies)
World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1999
Website: http://www.divinelifesociety.org/
This WWW reprint is for free distribution
© The Divine Life Trust Society
ISBN 81-7052-086-1
Published By
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192
Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttaranchal,
Himalayas, India.
CONTENTS
OM SHANTIH! Peace be unto you all.
The matter contained in this book with the title, “PATH TO BLESSEDNESS”
is a simple exposition of the inner Science of Self-realisation through
the path of self-subdual, mind-control, concentration and meditation.
It is all about the now well-known Yoga-Aphorisms of the great sage
and teacher of India known as Maharshi PATANJALI who taught about five
thousand years ago and left for humanity the quintessence of the Yoga-Science
in his short, terse and meaning-filled Sutras or brief aphorisms. The
Sutras being so very concise and pithy, their full meaning is not easily
understood at first reading. They have to be explained. The great sage
Maharshi Veda-Vyasa, the author of the eighteen classical Puranas, did
this for us by writing his Commentary on Patanjali’s Yoga-Aphorisms.
Much later on, a very learned disciple and seeker Vachaspaty Mishra
wrote a more elaborate Gloss explaining the full meaning of sage Vyasa’s
commentary. The present lessons in this book are based upon the teachings
given in the above-mentioned Yoga-Texts.
Why have I given these lessons? What is the purpose of my doing so?
This entire book constitutes a sincere attempt to serve earnest seekers
after spiritual Truth and to spread a Great Wisdom that is likely to
be of benefit to mankind. This task was gladly undertaken many years
back upon the express wish and direction of my Holy Master Swami Sivananda
Gurudev. At his feet I place this work humbly as an offering in gratefulness
to him and in thankfulness for his having induced me to serve the seekers
of this present 20th Century. The Holy Master Swami Sivananda, himself
a great Yoga-teacher known all over the world, instructed me to give
these lessons at the time when he established the Yoga-Vedanta Forest
Academy in his Ashram at Rishikesh and commenced daily classes under
the auspices of the above Academy. The said lessons were very carefully
recorded in shorthand script and are now made available in this book
after recorrection, revising, arranging and fresh editing. For this
my grateful thanks to Sri Swami Keshavananda, who has given his valuable
time, earnest attention and willing labour to this task.
The word Yoga has generally come to denote the path of meditation or
Dhyana dealt with in the science of Raja Yoga. This is the ancient science
of inner discipline, training and perfection of the mind so as to make
it a fit and efficient instrument for the right practice of effective
and successful Meditation. This path or system is most liked by the
occidental seeker because it is scientific in its approach and very
systematic in its structure. Also it transcends all religious dogma
and presents itself to you as an unbiased non-sectarian scientific spiritual
discipline as distinct from any religious ritual or practice. As such
it constitutes a method and technique available to people of any part
of the world without disturbing their faith or practice of their religion.
There is one Universal Spirit addressed variously as Jehovah, Allah,
Ahura Mazda, Almighty Father-in-Heaven, Brahman, the Tao or Thing-in-Itself
or GOD. This is the Universal Spirit, adored and worshipped in temple,
synagogue, church, mosque, fire-temple and all places of worship. This
is the Universal Spirit glorified and praised in all the scriptures
like the Vedas, the Talmud and the Torah, in Bible, Quoran, Zend-Avesta,
etc. This Universal Being is the object of the meditation of the meditator
in the path of Raja Yoga. Meditation upon this All-Perfect Universal
Being raises one beyond the plane of mind and intellect and takes the
seeker into a plane of superconsciousness wherein he is liberated from
the bondage to Matter and freed from all mortal afflictions of this
empirical earth-existence. This is the goal of Raja Yoga. The path is
purity of character and conduct, cleansing of one’s nature physically
and mentally, self-restraint, devotion, harmonising one’s vital
sheaths, withdrawal, concentration and meditation. It is thus a path
wherein we find incorporated the Universal principles and features of
the essential spiritual disciplines that elevate the seeker into God-experience.
I wish one and all of the readers this supreme experience. I pray for
their ultimate success in their spiritual life and Sadhana. Success
comes through continuous earnest striving. Therefore, O Seekers, strive
diligently upon the path of Yoga and you will surely reach the goal
without fail.
It is hoped that this little book will be of help and benefit to all
sincere seekers.
It belongs to Holy Gurudev Sivananda and it belongs to you. Homage
unto the Holy Master.
Swami Chidananda
The Two Paths—The Pleasant And The Good
Seekers after the great Truth, the supreme Reality, have spent their
lives in seclusion, meditation, penance and spiritual practices and
have ultimately attained the light of Realisation, and thus illumined
they have broadcast this light of God-consciousness, the path that leads
beyond sorrow and bestows upon us the gift of immortal, eternal bliss
and infinite knowledge, the greatest attainment of man. We have to strive
to attain the knowledge, knowing which all things become known. To obtain
that great fruit of human existence, obtaining which one knows that
there is nothing greater to be attained is the grandeur and glory of
human life. In order that we may fulfil this object of human life, we
have to acquire Mumukshutva—the thirst for the knowledge of the
Eternal and to translate this knowledge into an active quest—so
that we may realise the great aim as tangible experience in the depth
of our consciousness. We have to acquire the fundamental knowledge of
the various practices upon the path of Yoga, the path of knowledge according
to Vedantins, the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali according to the Mystics,
the path of devotion or love as expounded by Narada or Sandilya in their
Bhakti Sutras, and the path of attaining Truth through worshipful, dedicated
activity, i.e., the path of Karma Yoga, the Gita-Dharma expounded by
Lord Krishna in the Srimad Bhagavadgita. The seekers have to turn their
faces away from the Preyo-Marga (“Preyas” means that which
is pleasant to the senses and the mind. Hence “Preyo-Marga”
means the path that leads in the direction of the pleasing sensations
of body and mind.), which satisfies only the sensual nature of man,
which is not his real nature and which does not ultimately lead to one’s
eternal welfare, and they have to make up their minds to take to the
Sreyo-Marga (The word “Sreyas” has just the diametrically
opposite connotation to the word “Preyas”. Thus “Sreyo-Marga”
is the way leading to one’s ultimate good and not to an immediate
pleasant condition of senses and the mind.), which is the difficult
path of light, which is not the sensual one, which needs sense-control,
mastery of the mind, Viveka and Vairagya and which leads to our real
and lasting welfare. That which may be unpleasant in the beginning,
but which leads to eternal welfare, is the path of Sreyas. A beautiful
distinction between the two paths, Sreyas and Preyas, has been given
in the inspiring Kathopanishad, where Nachiketas boldly rejects that
which is pleasant and takes the difficult path which ultimately leads
him to blessedness. So we have to be seekers following the Sreyo-Marga,
and also we should have the unique good fortune of a safe shelter at
the feet of a Mahapurusha, a great Soul who has scaled the highest peaks
of inner spiritual realisation and is established in the Consciousness
of God-vision, in the Consciousness of the Highest Truth.
Goal Of Human Life
Three things are very difficult to obtain in this mortal world—birth
as a human being, desire for liberation and association with the wise
ones—and they are obtained only through the blessings and grace
of God. Of the three, human birth is a very precious gift that has been
put first and foremost. It is that state of existence where alone the
Jiva (individual soul) becomes endowed with intellect and the
extremely rare faculty of discrimination—Nitya-Anitya-Vastu-Viveka.
Therefore, human birth is put down as a very rare gift of God. Having
got a human birth, if you do not have a yearning to attain that state
which will bestow upon you eternal bliss and immortality, it means that
you do not utilise this human birth to any purpose at all. Then your
existence becomes patterned as of the animals. Eating, drinking, sleeping
and enjoyment of sensual pleasure are common to both man and animals,
but that which distinguishes man is his idealism, his earnest desire
for attaining something higher than mere material existence. We know
that there is a higher thing to be attained and we have also a keen
desire to become free from the imperfections of this physical life.
Then comes association with the wise. Even after getting the first two—human
birth and desire for liberation—our life becomes clouded in an
illusion, and in unfruitful endeavour, because we do not know what is
right endeavour which is given only to that blessed man, who has the
third gift—association with the wise—which obviates the obstacles
on the path. If we surrender ourselves unto the wise preceptor he would
show us the path. He would be able to give us inspiration, enthusiasm
and courage, when temptations beset us on the path. Those who have been
endowed with all these three blessings require a fourth also, viz.,
a mind which says “All right”. There is no devil except the
uncontrolled mind of man. It is the representative of Maya, Mara or
Ahriman—something that stands as an obstacle in the path of God-realisation.
So the mind should be propitious. You may have Devakripa (grace
of the deities), Gurukripa (grace of the Guru) and Sastrakripa
(grace of the scriptures), but without the co-operation of the mind
success cannot be ensured.
Spiritual Progress And God-Realisation
We have to progress day by day towards the highest ideal and therefore,
it is a very blessed day and a very auspicious occasion, when we start
regular Sadhana upon the theory and practice of meditation in all its
aspects and spiritualise all our activities. We do meditation in the
morning and evening, but during our activities and dealings with others
in the day, we show petty-mindedness and selfishness. This obstructs
our Sadhana and nullifies the benefit of our meditation. Penelope, the
wife of Ulyses, had during her husband’s absence many suitors,
but she did not want to become the wife of any one of them. She was
a faithful and loyal lady. She therefore told her suitors that she was
preparing a robe and until it was finished, she would not accept anyone.
They agreed. Every day she went on knitting and at night she used to
undo all the work she had done during the day. This continued till Ulyses
appeared. A similar thing should not happen in our life. Whatever we
might have practised in the morning and evening, to that we should not
add an undivine element. If during our actions we forget our essence,
if we are harsh, if we criticise, if we are dishonest—all these
things will undo whatever Sadhana we have done in the hours of meditation.
Therefore, our external physical life and activity, our speech and actions
have closely to keep up and further the spirit of our meditation, worship
and Sadhana. In order to do this, it is very essential that we not only
confine our Sadhana to a few quiet hours, but we should also divinise
all our actions during the day. All our actions should express our real,
inner nature. They should all become spiritualised. It is this divinisation
of all activities that is taught in Karma Yoga. Everyone must know this,
whether he is a Dhyana Yogi, Bhakti Yogi or a Vedantin. Karma Yoga is
very difficult. You can have a very ideal Bhava when you are alone;
but when you come into clash with hard realities in the world of diversities,
to keep up harmony, to express only divinity, selflessness, is a hard
job. But it is worth the while, because it will make other Yogas fruitful.
The man who lives an ideal life, full of self-sacrifice, full of sweetness—one
Mala of Japa that he does is equal to ten thousand Malas done by other
people, because his nature is purified by divine activity. But if your
nature is full of Kama and Krodha, even if you do meditation, as the
field is not prepared, it will not be fruitful. One wonders: “Why
am I not progressing?” Because you are contradicting your Sadhana
in your active life. An aspirant must be wise. He should know where
the pot is leaking. Otherwise when the pot is leaking, you will be trying
to fill it. It is useless. First you must know where the pot is leaking.
For this, you have to know the art of Karma Yoga.
You must have a practical knowledge of these things. Once a king had
three skulls, and he asked his court-Pandit as to which of them was
the best. The Pandit passed a rod through one ear of the first skull,
and the rod came out of the other ear. In the second skull, the rod
when inserted through one ear, came out of the mouth. In the third skull
the rod, which was inserted through one ear, went right into the heart.
The court-Pandit said that the third skull was the best. The first skull
represents that type of people who hear words of wisdom through one
ear and without assimilating them leave them through the other ear and
forget about them. The second skull represents those people who after
receiving wisdom, are anxious to teach it to others, but do not practise
it themselves. The third skull represents the best type of aspirants
who, after hearing wisdom, keep it in their hearts and try to practise
it in their everyday life. So, I would request you all to be like the
third skull, cherishing and practising whatever you may learn from the
wise.
The Pranava or OM is repeated to recall to ourselves our real nature.
It is to remind us what we essentially are. We think we are this body,
this mind or this Prana. The Pranava reminds us what we really are.
Om is eternal, unfathomable Peace, Light of lights, Knowledge, Satchidananda,
Nitya Suddha and Nitya Buddha. That is what we really are. But the indescribable
illusion of the Lord, called Maya, has made us forget our real nature.
We therefore say that we have pain, when the body has pain. When the
mind has no peace, we think that we are depressed. It is due to wrong
identification with the body and the mind. Therefore, in order to enable
us to realise the true nature of the Self and to be established in the
Atmic consciousness there are different Yogas. The ultimate purpose
of all Yogas, of all spiritual struggles, is the realisation of the
true Atmic consciousness which is full of bliss. So Om reminds us what
is the ultimate experience to be gained. Experience of Om is the ultimate
fruit of Yoga, and to constantly keep us reminded of this goal, we always
repeat Om, which gives us elation. Even though for ages you may be under
illusion, at the touch of Truth you will be filled with elation. That
is the grandeur of the perception of Truth.
The secret of Yoga is not merely Tyaga (renunciation) of Bhoga (pleasures),
but it is the attainment of Mahabhoga, Bhoga of Bhogas. A Yogi knows
that if all the pleasures of the three worlds are heaped together on
one side and on the other side an infinitesimal speck of that Supreme
Bliss of the Atman is kept, the latter will far outweigh the former.
The man who does Tyaga of sense-pleasures for the sake of Yoga is indeed
a clever man. It is like throwing away a counterfeit coin for getting
gold. He knows that he is throwing away nothing, and what he is going
to attain is something unique. So, Yoga is primarily an attempt to achieve
the Supreme Bliss. That is one definition of Yoga from a particular
point of view, and we have other definitions also. There are positive
and negative definitions. A child is watching the mother sewing. It
sees the mother putting a thimble on the finger. “Why are you putting
the thimble?”, the child asks. Then the mother explains that it
is put on in order that if the needle happens to prick the finger accidentally,
it may not cause pain or bleeding. We try to apply that to Yoga also.
And a little more elaborately I will tell you. Far, far back, beyond
history, there was felt an ancient need for man at the beginning of
creation. What was that? It is very emphatically given in the life of
Buddha. The whole of his philosophy is Nirvana. He found all people
suffering. Therefore, in order to fulfil a need, he strove. Even so,
long ago the ancients went through the human life itself and found that
all life is full of defects, full of pains and this started an agitation
in their mind. They enquired: “Is there any way of getting over
these imperfections and limitations? And is there any way of going beyond
these sorrows and tribulations?” They found that ultimately the
body is subjected to six kinds of variations. It has birth, growth,
then change, disease, decay, and ultimately death. When human life is
bound by birth and death, in between these two terminals, there is this
suspension of life. So in this uncertain life of man what little pleasure
he can get from objects is obstructed by disease, change and decay.
Is there any method of getting rid of this imperfect earthly life? The
ancients were very practical people. Even now the true Hindu is a very
practical man. Though he is charged as an impractical unrealist, it
is an interesting fact that he is very practical, when he thinks that
a thing is worth striving for, he is prepared to sacrifice his very
life for it. The Hindu found that the external life is not worthwhile,
and so he was prepared to give it up. People thought that he was a dreamer.
Is there a method of getting rid of the imperfections of the world?
The practical mind of the Hindu at once began to make researches. By
persistent effort, he ultimately plunged into the very depth of human
thought and experience and came face to face with Truth beyond sensual
experience. Beyond all sorrow and limitations, beyond all bounds, and
getting That he dived into an ecstatic experience of Supreme Bliss.
So, from the heights of his experience he gave the call to the mortal
world: “In brief I will tell you that path which will lead you
to eternal welfare. I shall teach you that path which will lead you
beyond sorrow”.
From an observation and close study of human life and the vexations,
pains and afflictions that beset it, there arose an urge in our ancients
to find out a path that would make them transcend them. They felt an
extreme urge to find out an unblemished life and as an answer to this
human want came Yoga, the practical method to take you beyond sorrow,
and bestow upon you perennial bliss. It effects Sarvaduhkha-Nivritti
and Paramananda-Prapti—the removal of all sorrows and the
attainment of the greatest bliss—not mere Ananda, but Paramananda,
Supreme bliss. So, Yoga came as a consequence of a deep want felt by
man, when he realised the sorrow of existence and felt the need for
a path that would lead him beyond sorrow, beyond all imperfections,
all limitations and impurities and this material, physical existence
and would bestow upon him the fruit of higher consciousness where he
would experience infinity, peace and eternal life of perfection.
Viewed in this way, the other questions become automatically answered.
Why should we study Yoga at all? Who will not like to be completely
free from all imperfections and vexing bondages of this material existence?
Who will not want to enjoy supreme bliss and ecstasy? If anyone does
not want it, he is a fool. He is a blind fool who wastes away his life.
He is a man to be pitied. He sets his eyes like an owl and says: “I
do not want light”. When there is a method to go beyond sorrow,
rejecting it is not a sign of wisdom. “Oh, what a surprise! In
this mortal world rejecting nectar, people consume poison!”—that
is what a wise man will feel if rejecting Yoga one takes to Bhoga. So,
this is the importance of Yoga. It takes one beyond sorrow and bestows
upon him perennial bliss, the experience of Atmic consciousness whose
nature is bliss.
Even a little bit of knowledge of Yoga bestows upon us great inner
strength because man finds his centre. So, it is the great way of life—path
which fulfils the main purpose of human existence. As such, everyone
must be interested in Yoga, because all people want to get rid of sorrow
and want to get peace and bliss.
Fundamental Concept Of Yoga
As already stated, Yoga came into being as an answer to human need,
when through experiences in life, the ancients found out that human
life here is limited and it is not full. It is Apurna. There is always
some sense of want in the human mind, some sense of incompleteness which
man wishes to fulfil. The satisfaction which the human being derives
from external physical objects by means of his senses, the eyes, ears,
sense of taste, sense of touch and the sense of smell; is accompanied
by much pain and sorrow. First and foremost, the hankering is there.
As long as desire is not fulfilled a person has no peace of mind, and
then exertion starts in order to fulfil that desire. If the exertion
ends in failure, he is disappointed. If some one crosses him when he
is exerting to fulfil a desire, he gets angry. If any other man has
got that which he has not got then jealousy comes. After an object has
been acquired through much exertion and overcoming all obstacles, fear
starts in his mind that the object may get out of his hand. Then the
anxiety to keep the object safe arises. Anxiety and fear—when these
two are there, no peace can be there. After these exertions, fear and
anxiety, if the object goes out of his hand, sorrow comes. If once the
mind gets attached to an object, immediately desire starts. Exertion,
anxiety, fear, disappointment, sorrow—all these follow. The mind
never gets rest. The very nature of the mind is desire. Constantly thoughts
come and they are at once helped by imagination, and imagination takes
the form of a desire. Then will-power comes into play. It gives orders
to the various organs—the hands, feet, etc.,—to fulfil the
desire. From memory thought comes, and thought at once with the help
of imagination takes the form of a desire. And, once the desire is there,
the mind is at once at work: ‘How can I fulfil it?’ Now the
‘I’ or self-arrogating principle comes there. Then the determining
faculty appears. Then action, exertion, anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety
and disappointment follow. Disappointment comes because in imagination
our conception of an object is one thing, but when we actually get it
we find that it falls far short of our expectation. The reality is different
from our conception of it. This is the case with ninety-nine per cent
of our experiences. Conception is one thing and the actual experience
is another thing. And at the end we realise that all names and forms
are perishable and all relationships are temporary. When the objects
leave us, or we leave the objects at the time of our death, we experience
sorrow. We must try to get beyond sorrow through getting rid of our
desire for sense-objects by subduing the Indriyas. How to subdue the
Indriyas and how to free ourselves from the tyranny of the mind is taught
in Yoga. Yoga is the method to enable us to go beyond the experience
of sorrow, anxiety and disappointment and to take us to the highest
spiritual experience.
Let us see what are the fundamentals of Yoga, why it is that the mind
goes towards objects and why desire is the nature of the mind. Is it
possible to stop the process of the mind? These are the next considerations.
The ancients tried to find out what was possible for man to do with
this thing called ‘mind’, through which so much sorrow, and
other limited experiences result. How did they set about doing it? What
is the fundamental thing that is being worked out through Yoga? Here
we have to consider the state of the human being. They found that human
being is a curious mixture of three ingredients. We all know what we
are. We think. We make use of our intelligence, reasoning and logic.
Man is a rational being. So we know ourselves as human beings who can
think, co-ordinate experiences, infer, and come to fresh conclusions,
and who are endowed with intelligence. But then there are times when
certain urges get hold of us, and we immediately forget all about our
intelligence and logic and we become very much like an animal. When
there is a violent fit of anger or jealousy, we behave like any other
animal. It shows that there is in the composition of every human being
some part which is subhuman, unrefined and absolutely animalistic, though
through centuries of refinement, man has evolved and due to mass-evolution
of the race the subhuman part has been to some extent subdued.
When a man is under the grip of a violent fit of anger, he may go and
murder a person, which no man in his normal human consciousness would
do. Then after sometime he himself is aghast and thinks: “Could
I do such a thing?” When the human faculty or human restraint is
blown off, then the subhuman element takes full control of the personality.
This happens to everyone. And our ancients found out that this is also
a fundamental part of man, but it is only suppressed in some human beings.
Where the race has not evolved, this element is very active even now.
Take the case of the aboriginals in Africa. They are just like animals,
though they are in human form. This portion of the human personality
is called, in theosophical language, the lower self. In Tantric language
they call it ‘Pasu’, and in Vedantic parlance they call it
‘Asuddha Manas’ or impure mind, which is characterised by
Mala, the animal characteristics. This Asuddha Manas is there in every
person, sometimes under control and sometimes not under control. All
the while we have to remember that the real man is not the body, mind
or the intellect. Actually man is a Spiritual entity. He is immortal
in essence, full of pure Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. That is the
true nature of man—Satchidananda. His real nature is not
like a piece of stone. He knows: “I am that I am”. The bliss
of Self-awareness is the fact of man’s being. Being-Consciousness-Bliss
is the definition of the real Self of you all. But this consciousness
is covered by the mind and the senses, and man says: “I am doing
this, I am full of sorrow, I rejoice”. He identifies himself with
the body and the mind.
Man is constituted of three ingredients. There is his essential divine
nature; then there is the animal nature full of Tamas, darkness and
bestial qualities, and in between these two there is the human nature.
Sometimes, when he is in the company of saints, pure feelings come.
At other times, when he goes into bad company, bad feelings come to
him and he feels like getting out of the place. Man is tossed about
between his pure self and impure self. There is on the one side the
pull of his higher divine self, and on the other side, the pull of his
lower, animalistic self. His own bad habits, friends, environments,
etc., tend to keep him on a lower state. So, the fundamental problem
before Yoga is to somehow or other enable man to liquidate his lower
self, the animalistic and gross nature. Every time the human element
says: “I must go up”, and the lower self pulls him down. Purification
is the purpose of Yoga, so that there may be no bar for the Divine Consciousness
to manifest itself. The Divine Consciousness is experienced when the
mind is purified. When the mind is fully purified, we can partake of
that wonderful experience of the ever-blissful Self, which is our true
essential nature. They call it Svarupa, which means “one’s
own nature”. This being the problem, it stands to reason, that
Raja Yoga must also work out the process of eliminating the impure side
of man and training the human self to rise up to the Divine Consciousness
and all Yogas do the same thing in different ways.
According to Vedanta, Mala, Vikshepa and Avarana are the three obstacles
that hold the Jiva in bondage. Anger, hatred, jealousy, selfishness
and passion are impurities of man, and these centre round his identification
with the body. So, the first thing is the removal of the gross, physical
personality. The second obstacle is Vikshepa, or oscillation of the
mind. The mind is never able to concentrate on or stick to any single
point or idea. The mind always flits from one thing to another one.
Now it is in Canada, now in Germany, now in America. This flitting nature
of the mind is called Vikshepa. So, Yoga-Sastras say that if you want
to purify your lower nature, you must also get rid of the Vikshepa,
and even if that is done, there is the primal delusion, the veil, the
Avarana, on account of which you think that you are the physical body.
That subtle illusion or wrong notion, called Avidya which hides the
true nature of the ultimate Reality is called Avarana. Anything that
hides is Avarana.
Patanjali said: “If you want spiritual progress, first and foremost,
purify your nature and remove all the undesirable qualities.” So,
as the very first step in Raja Yoga, he laid down the cultivation of
all virtues. The aspirant must become the very model of virtue, perfect
Sadachara. This is the basis over which all the superstructure is to
be built. How many virtues are there? If you read Swami Sivanandaji’s
books, you will find hundreds of virtues, which are to be developed
by the aspirant. Sage Patanjali solved the problem in a very intuitive
way. He selected five fundamental virtues which are the parent and the
prolific source of all goodness. If you become firmly established in
these five fundamental virtues, all other virtues will come to you by
themselves. If you capture the commander of an army, the whole army
is at your disposal. So he said: “Cultivate the five fundamental
virtues. Become perfect in them. Then your entire nature will become
virtuous. That is the power of these virtues.”
Cultivation of these five fundamental virtues constitutes the first
step of Ashtanga Yoga. They are called Yama. Of them the first is Ahimsa,
harmlessness. Never hurt any creature, not even an ant, not even a plant—not
only physically, never even think of hurting anyone. Never cause sorrow,
never cause any loss and never cause any injury to anyone. Never dream
of causing any fear or any sorrow to any living creature. This one virtue
is enough to make a man perfectly virtuous, a saint. The second is Satya
or truthfulness. Be perfectly established in truth. Even life may go,
but do not go against truth. Do not subscribe to falsehood. Do not do
an action that contradicts truth. Do not think one thing, speak another
thing and do a third thing. Then comes Brahmacharya or purity in motive,
speech and action. It is chastity from the point of view of ladies.
The fourth is Asteya or non-stealing. Never try to take that which belongs
to others. Never covet your neighbour’s wealth. Never deprive another
man of what rightly belongs to him. If all nations stick to this, where
is the need for quarrels and wars! The last is Aparigraha or non-receiving
of articles of luxury. Do not receive any thing from others that is
conducive to luxury.
Thus the first step of Raja Yoga aims to make the individual perfectly
virtuous. Harmlessness, truthfulness, purity, non-stealing and non-receiving
of that which is conducive to luxury—these form the fivefold virtues
to be cultivated by the seeker in the first stage of Raja Yoga. A life
of universal love and selfless service will establish him on the pattern
of saintly life which will serve as the foundation for the building
up of the later stages of Raja Yoga.
Yogic Analysis Of The Inner Man
Man is defined as a rational animal. That part of him endowed with
the power of reasoning forms his human nature and this is the centre
of his personality. Urging him to a higher state of consciousness is
his essential, ever pure, ever perfect, divine nature which is unborn,
undecaying, imperishable, of the nature of immortal existence, which
is his real being, and which continues even after the cessation of the
functioning of the mind. When one life-span comes to an end at the dissolution
of the physical body, all mental processes of the individual come to
an end and all sensory processes based upon the thought-process also
come to an end. We find that even after one’s mind ceases to operate,
the consciousness, the real part of the human being continues to be
and spiritual researches by sages of intuition have revealed that this
unit of consciousness continues to travel along a chain, link by link.
Human incarnation being a link in the chain, all doubts regarding the
continuity of consciousness after the dissolution of the body and cessation
of the mental process were set aside conclusively in two ways. The memory
of previous birth in an individual was found active and the data or
facts given in connection with his previous existence were put to test
and proved to be correct in every minute detail. In the West, the continuity
of consciousness has been proved by certain research-workers upon a
somewhat lower scale, who were able to contact personalities after the
dissolution of their physical bodies. Among some of the foremost figures
who established the continuity of consciousness we might mention Sir
Oliver Lodge, etc. They were very well-known figures in Western literature
and amongst Western thinkers. This essential part of man is defined
as a thing ever calling him higher up towards noble aspirations, towards
struggle for the attainment of a higher consciousness in which he will
be established in an experience where sorrows cannot touch him and pains
of the physical and mental sheaths cease to be. A state of continuous
bliss characterises that experience. At the same time we find that on
the other side of the central human, rational nature there is the grosser
aspect of his being, the brutal, animalistic aspect, made up of the
low appetites, the lower sensual passions and the impure urges that
form a part of every human being.
The world-process is the evolution from the lower stages of being to
the higher levels. Indian thought holds that as the individual unit
of consciousness passes through lower stages of existence, the impress
of each stage is left in the depth of consciousness and this forms the
constitution of his animalistic nature or his impure, grosser being.
Thus each level of existence leaves within him some trace of the characteristics
of that stage of gross existence. In the animal stage, the predominant
characteristic is instinct which is present in the form of urges over
which the being has no control. They are not guided by rational thought
and therefore these elements go to form the lower part of the being.
The animal is subdued and suppressed in the consciousness and the divine
yet to be awakened and it is yet latent, not patent. In between them
is the human nature, ever active, dynamic, expressing itself in various
modes in the life of the individual, but swayed between the animal and
the divine nature. Every being is forcibly drawn towards the suppressed
yet active animal nature. Animal nature is active in various degrees
in each human being, whereas the divine has not started to be active.
It is sleeping and not yet awakened. So, the individual is constantly
drawn towards the animal nature.
Human life is a struggle between the undivine nature of the individual
and the power of reasoning which says: “I think this is not worthy
of me. As a human being I should not do it”. These considerations
are kept active by the human reason. How? By the force of early training.
In the child-stage he is trained by the elders to avoid doing certain
things and to be ashamed of doing certain other things. Early training
and family heritage play an important part. Suppose he is born in an
educated, cultured family; naturally, his instincts are more refined.
The reason offers lesser restraints to those who are born in an uncivilised
family, very backward, unlettered class. Even though they are endowed
with reason, it does not operate in the same degree as it does in the
case of a man, born in a civilised, cultured family. Early training,
heritage, and later on his previous Samskaras begin to operate.
Samskara means impression left over by every past experience. Life
is progression and in each birth man goes on learning things and drawing
lessons from experience. All these lessons are there in the form of
subtle impressions in the human being. It may be a liability or it may
be an asset in the form of impressions carried over from experiences
and activities in a previous birth, and these impressions begin to operate
with the ego or individuality which begins to function in a human being
after a certain age.
In one’s childhood individuality does not function. Normally,
it is only after a certain age that children begin to manifest their
individuality, and when they do so, the impressions of their previous
births begin to work. They also begin to play a part in the reasoning
of man directly, induce him to take to certain actions and to avoid
certain others. Then we have the restraint of a civilised society. People
say: “Do not do this”. Certain things are disallowed. Certain
things are looked upon as something to be abhorred. These influences
go to make up the rational part of man and it is a struggle between
these factors and the lower urges that makes up the conflict in every
individual. The factors of self-respect, decency, etc., begin to operate
in a man and they act to a certain extent as a restraint against the
urges of his grosser animalistic nature. And supposing he comes into
contact with the higher mind, begins to hear words of wisdom, comes
into contact with elevating literature and hears more and more about
divine things, then his intellect begins to be educated. The power of
restraint over the lower self becomes stronger and establishes him more
and more upon human nature. And he becomes a man of self-restraint,
self-discipline, a man who has mastery over his lower appetites and
urges. In society, the factor of fear also does act to some extent as
a bar upon the mind’s lower appetites. Suppose a man acts badly,
he will be punished by the society. So, fear of punishment is there.
In the higher planes of evolution the fear is not from the world, but
is from punishment of Universal Law. All these things go to make him
steadily fixed to the human level and act as a check upon the too frequent
manifestation of the urges of the lower, grosser, impure, animalistic
part of the human being.
And then, of course, there are occasional clashes. Suddenly, certain
moments come in the life of every human being, when he or she begins
to ponder over his or her life: “Have I lived to any purpose? What
is the meaning of all this? After all one day I shall have to go out
of this scene at a moment’s notice”. Then he or she feels
a sense of dissatisfaction upon the type of life that he or she has
been leading and a call comes from some high source. There is an urge
for betterment, for rising higher up and for experiencing something
which is not merely mundane, gross or physical. At those times man becomes
a philosopher and tries to rise above his sensual life. But again in
the whirl of his daily activities he forgets the real purpose of his
life. Once again moments come in his life when he questions: “Is
there a higher purpose in life?” It is indicative of the presence
of a higher nature in the being which is capable of being experienced
and realised. It is to enable man to take advantage of this upward wave
and rise up from the normal humdrum activities of this physical world
that all God-men constantly keep on urging him, saying: “What are
you doing here? How long will you slumber?” They try to rouse again
and again the sleeping, essential divine nature in the human being.
Thus analysing the threefold nature of man we find that in the process
of Yoga, the fundamental work it has to achieve is the annihilation
or elimination of the lower, animalistic nature of man and the sublimation
of his human consciousness into a higher divine consciousness where
he goes beyond the body and mind and is established in the perennial,
glorious experience of his blissful, true Self—his essential nature—the
Truth that shines in the innermost chamber of his consciousness. If
this is the process, then all Yogas, however much they may differ in
their external modes, are necessary to work out this self-same process.
Now we will try to consider how the different Yogas actually work out
this one central process and in what way they set about doing this.
We find that man expresses himself through his speech and actions. Whether
a man is good or bad and whether his life is good or bad, can be known
only from his speech and actions. When a man is very animalistic and
impure, he does atrocious acts. All his actions are impure, sinful,
harmful. He brings pain, sorrow and destruction to others. In his speech
he is harsh and brings about disgrace upon people. He insults and causes
pain to people. Thus through harsh, cruel and wrong words and actions
the Asuric nature of man manifests itself in the human plane. All manifestation
is through action and speech. But, the Yogins and Seers of the past
tried to go beyond the actions and the speech of man. They said: “These
speeches and actions are more in the form of manifestations of something
deep inward and we should therefore first of all know whence they spring
forth.”
Trying to trace the actions and speech to their source, they found
that they were rooted in thoughts. It is only what man thought and felt
in the mind that becomes later on expressed in the form of speech and
action. Speech and action, though of tremendous import in the external
world, work havoc or wonderful good upon the external field of human
life; they are nothing but the outward symptoms of an inner power and
this power is the power of thought. The wise devoted their full attention
and all their wisdom and found that they were confronted with a very
mysterious and complicated array of factors in their mind. All those
arose in their mind; and therefore a study of man’s mind is the
most important work of Yoga.
Analysis of man’s mind, minute research into the various aspects
of the being of man, how the mind acts, what are its various moods,
what is its essential constituent—all these form the subject-matter
of Yoga. They found that mind thinks due to various factors and its
manifestations also depend upon various factors. Now, actions and speeches
were traced to their geneses. “Why is it that a certain type of
thoughts comes in a mind and not another type of thoughts? What is the
thing that sustains thought?” They began to make deeper and deeper
research and came to marvellous discoveries. What were they? They found
that thought was not totally haphazard. I will give you some very easy
examples which will reveal to you some laws that operate in the realm
of each one’s mind. What are these laws?
For instance, if you see a doctor, immediately the thoughts of dispensary,
hospital and medicine come. If you see a soldier in military-uniform,
the thoughts of warfare, tanks, guns, soldiers charging—all these
things come to your mind. If you see a lawyer, the thoughts of courts,
judge, sentence and jail—all these come. There are two things involved
in this process. One is we find out a law that any object perceived
by the avenue of any one of the five senses immediately sets up a train
of thoughts which is of the same nature as the object perceived. One
thought sets about raising in the mind other thoughts associated with
it. It is called the law of association. And this law even dispenses
with the necessity of having an object present before your eye for setting
up a thought. Just from memory you think of something. Immediately that
also sets into motion a train of thoughts associated with the object
conjured up in the mind through memory. The wise thus found that the
law of association is there operating in the realm of mind and directing
our thoughts.
Another very interesting law was also found out. They found that mind
has got a peculiar, I may call it, a very dangerous and nasty habit.
It is a headache for all seekers. It has got this pernicious habit of
making a lightning record of whatever sense-contact that a human being
makes. In passing you may speak some words, see some persons or you
may undergo some experience and immediately a lightning record leaves
a Samskara. Why it is very important to the Yogi is due to the very
peculiar nature of the Samskara. Samskara is not merely a dead-line
drawn upon a canvas, but it is a live record. I shall explain to you
what a live record means. There is a photographic record. Anything that
comes across a sensitive plate, immediately creates an image on it and
it is kept for ever; but that is only a dead impression. That image
which a photographic plate has taken upon itself cannot come and talk
to you. But then, this Samskara is an impression taken by the mind which
has got in itself the capacity to once again recreate in the individual
the entire experience which originally caused it. It is a very important
aspect of the nature of a Samskara that gets into the human mind through
any chance contact or activity or experience that the individual happens
to go through.
Each Samskara has inherent in it the capacity to once again recreate
that very experience which originally caused it. You will understand
it perfectly if I tell you an analogy in our external life. Out of a
big tree we get a small seed as a product of that tree. The tree is
vast but the seed is very small. But what then is the tremendous capacity
of the seed, even though it looks so small? It has got inherent in itself
the ability or the power to once again recreate in all fullness and
in all details the entire tree which originally brought it about. Given
proper conditions and favourable factors for it to spring into dynamism,
this little seed can once again recreate in entirety all details of
the tree which was the cause for its coming into being. Thus it is with
Samskara.
Supposing someone gives you something to taste. The actual taste is
only over an area of two or three inches on the tongue. Before the thing
comes in contact with your tongue there is no taste. You experience
the taste only as long as the thing is on your tongue. Yet this little
experience is immediately captured and kept in the mind as a Samskara.
Supposing you happen to pass through that particular city or town where
ten years ago you happened to taste that thing, then the memory comes:
“In 1945 I ate this thing, and I ate in that particular locality”.
Suppose you are sitting somewhere. Once you think of it, you begin to
imagine how beautiful it was and how it melted in your mouth. This starts
a sensory reaction and this imagination immediately makes the Samskara
take the form of a desire.
First the Samskara lies as a Vasana and the Vasana rises as a Vritti
and mentally the whole process is recreated. This process of recreation
through the power of imagination crystallises as a desire. And once
desire arises, man at once tries to fulfil it. He becomes a slave of
that desire. If a desire comes, trying to fulfil it is the nature of
the human being. Immediately the ego-sense says: “I must take it”.
The ego also identifies itself with the desire. But if the ego has the
higher discriminative part, instead of identifying with desire, it tries
to identify itself with the higher discriminative faculty viz., the
Buddhi which says: “I do not want this”. But normally the
ego is not endowed with the faculty of discrimination and it identifies
itself with desire and gives orders to the various senses. Immediately
you look into the telephone directory and see the number of the shop
where you can purchase the things you want. If you succeed in finding
the number, you at once place an order over the phone. If you cannot
find the number of the shop, you get a taxi and go to the shop, sit
there, order for the dish and taste it. The experience is once again
recreated. This experience leaves another Samskara or intensifies your
old Samskara.
Samskara is very dynamic. We must note the importance of being very
careful not to take in any new Samskara. The process of Yoga demands
the frying of Samskaras. Put a seed in a frying pan and roast it over
the fire. Supposing you sow the seed in the soil. It will not sprout
forth, because the life-principle has been completely roasted out. So
is the case in Samadhi wherein Samskaras are fried out. I am talking
to you about only one Samskara which is so very powerful, whereas there
are countless thousands of Samskaras. Everyday from morning till night
we go on accumulating sense-experiences, whether we are aware of it
or not. Everything that we experience is turned into a Samskara. Every
moment of our waking life, we go on acquiring Samskaras. Therefore,
the wise say that it is impossible to kill all the Samskaras one by
one. If you drop an atom bomb, thousands of people will be killed simultaneously.
Similarly the weapon they gave is Samadhi, the experience of superconsciousness,
which they say, will fry once for all, all Samskaras, so that they cannot
recreate the experiences which originally created them. The frying of
the Samskaras is the method of the Yogins, and this is brought about
by intense meditation and with the annihilation of the Samskaras, man
is freed from bondage. This is the process of Yoga. This was one of
the discoveries which the Yogins and Seers of yore made in the research
of the mind. The whole of Raja Yoga can be said to be “the method
of frying the Samskaras of the mind”.
We have to touch upon some more general points which relate to the
mind, and their role in keeping of this phenomenal illusion. We shall
see how the mind holds down the consciousness to this limited individual
sphere, and one more law of thought, and also the anatomy of thought,
how it works and how it crystallises. It is a very important thing.
We must know that thoughts do not merely dwell in the mind concerning
themselves with the inwardness of man only, for they have definitely
a powerful and substantial effect on his outward life in all his spheres.
In all spheres of his activities they become crystallised as tangible
parts in his personality. Not only that, persisted in, they have got
even the power to become objectified externals, as certain different
conditions and certain definite experiences. So, it is necessary that
we should be careful about our thoughts.
We must know what to think and how to think. We may know what is good
to think; but we may not be able to hold on to that thought. Some other
thought which we do not want may yet persist in coming and occupying
our consciousness. This is a common experience and a universal law for
people who have not begun to realise that they are something different
from their thoughts. If they want they can be masters and can propel
the thoughts in any direction they wish. Man should know the truth and
feel himself: “I am one thing and thought is another thing which
is not part of my essential nature; it is something that I can move
and it is not always necessary that I should continue to be moved by
it”. Until and unless man becomes aware of this truth he is always
led by his thoughts. At present it is not you who propel thought, but
it is thought that propels you. Therefore, we shall try to understand
in what way thought operates inside and in what way it affects man’s
life also.
The third point is unity of Sadhana. We have found that the root-cause
of all this bondage to the lower, grosser, animalistic part of man’s
nature is wrong thought,—thought which persists in conforming itself
to the lower nature,—and we have found out how thoughts based upon
these primary negative qualities of desire, anger, passion, avariciousness,
selfishness, jealousy and attachment, keep up the structure of man’s
lower nature and having gone to the root of thought, we have seen how
our ancients found out that the first concern of Yoga is to gain complete
control over thought and bring about a complete transformation in the
nature of man. If the mind is in a state of allegiance to the lower
self, then it will not be able to play its part in raising our consciousness
from the lower to the higher, but if it is allied to the Self, then
it becomes an effective and proper channel for the rise of consciousness
from the lower level to the subtle spiritual level; and therefore, they
made a study of the mind and its mysteries.
The transformation of the mind is the prime concern of Yoga, and we
have found that if this transformation from the impure to the pure,
from the finite to the infinite and from the gross to the subtle and
spiritual has to be brought about, then all Yogas must of necessity
work out at least an identical process in the very essence. Now, therefore,
we will see how unity of Sadhana is present in the four Yogas which
apparently in their outward form seem to be diverse.
According to the theory of Vedanta the prime cause for this individual
existence is Ajnana or Mula Avidya or root-ignorance. The very first
form this root-ignorance takes is the feeling of duality in the non-dual
Supreme Consciousness which is characterised by absolute unity. Then
comes the feeling, due to ignorance, that ‘I am separate and the
world is separate’. This duality comes due to what is known as
Adhyasa or superimposition, and wrong identification.
The consciousness instead of identifying itself with the Cosmic, the
Infinite, identifies itself with the individual limited body. This is
the first manifestation of Avidya. ‘I am this body’, ‘I
am this mind’, ‘I am this feeling’, ‘I am this thought’,—is
a series of identifications rooted in the first primal error that ‘I
am a separate thing’. This first dual notion sets in its train
a whole set of wrong Adhyasa and then due to this the error of superimposition.
You superimpose upon pure Consciousness various forms, and various characteristics
which are not there as its essential nature, and therefore, the whole
phenomena of Jagat (world) spring up.
First there is Ajnana, then arises duality and then wrong identification
with body, mind, etc. And this ignorance is based upon mind’s wrong
thought and therefore, the process of right thought is given out as
the powerful entity to reverse the process. Swami Vivekananda has referred
to it in terms of modern hypnotism. He said that the ‘being’
has hypnotised itself into the wrong thought that he is a body. You
have to stamp out this hypnotism. He says that Vedanta is strong dehypnotisation
through right thoughts and right discrimination. You should dehypnotise
and this is the correct method. The whole of Vedantic Sadhana is based
upon right Vichara. To do Vichara you must know the correct discriminatory
process. You must first of all learn what is Reality. Then only you
can think on the lines which will take you to the Reality. So, they
first of all prescribed the listening to the nature of Truth. This,
as you know, is part of Vedanta.
One has to go on discriminating and holding on to the correct current
of thought and Vedanta provides you the frame-work through which you
have to make your thought currents flow towards Truth. You do this actual
work in Manana and at the extreme climax of Manana, you have got deep
meditation. You have various kinds of supermental states of consciousness
known as Samadhi. You have got Savitarka Samadhi, Nirvitarka Samadhi,
etc. When all mental processes come to an end you have the highest Advaita
or Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Then you are once for all freed from the thraldom
of ignorance. When the mind stops functioning, there can be no wrong
experience. This is the inner process of Vedantic Sadhana. Instead of
identifying yourself with this physical personality you identify yourself
with the infinite, formless, supreme Truth in your innermost being.
But this thought also manifests itself in various other phases. Thought
when expressed as emotion, gives rise to various wrong attachments,
Moha, affections, love directed towards the perishable objects and love
towards one’s own body and those associated with one’s own
life. This Moha is another factor which binds the Consciousness to the
limited nature of wrong feeling and emotion. Due to Moha ‘mineness’
comes—feelings such as ‘my house’, ‘my child’,
‘my property’, etc. Therefore, the wise have another method
for countering this aspect of the mind’s wrong manifestation—wrong
emotions, wrong ties and wrong affections. For that, they evolved a
process of detachment and attachment—detachment of the entire emotional
aspect of one’s personality from worldly objects and attachment
to some perfect divine personality. This is at the basis of the conception
of Bhakti and Ishta.
Instead of wrongly being attached, through emotion and feeling, to
a number of perishable things in this world, purify your emotion, have
Vairagya and attach yourself to some divine, all-perfect personality,
through your entire emotional power. Let all your love be centred upon
the perfect divine ideal, a divine personality. This is another process
of purifying the mind and feelings by slowly weaning away the mind from
the external objects of the world and keeping it completely fixed on
the all-pervading divine personality. This divine personality, which
a devotee chooses is known as Ishta-Devata.
Those-who have got a single ideal as for instance, in Christian world,
do not conceive of the Supreme Reality in various aspects. They have
got only one aspect, the Father in Heaven, and the vast majority of
Christians are Bhaktas. They are lovers of the Lord. Even in such people
who have got a single Istha Devata you will find that the urge of the
human nature is irresistible. They like to love Christ as the ever-perfect
bridegroom; some offer their adorations as Christ on the cross and they
like to take upon themselves in sufferings He underwent. Some would
like to love Lord Jesus in the arm of Mary and they are not so much
attached towards the adult Jesus. Even so some would like Jesus as their
Master as He lived and moved amidst the world with his disciples. Therefore,
the various aspects of the one Divinity attract the love of different
devotees even in the self-same religion according to their temperament
and inclination.
Just like that, in order to give an unlimited scope for the transformation
of man from the lower to the higher level, Hinduism has given an infinite
number of manifestations and Bhavas, emotional attitudes. We are now
concerned with the approach to the mind purely upon the emotional side,
and therefore, the wise have given different Bhavas to enable a smooth
switch over from the attachment to the human, to the transcendental,
divine. If your love to the Lord, is like the love of a parent towards
a child it is called Vatsalya. There are other Bhavas: Sakhya Bhava—you
can love the Lord as your own friend. Arjuna had that Bhava, and Uddhava
also had that kind of love. Or, the love of a layman and devoted servant
can also be transformed into divine ideal—say, the servant-master
aspect. All the affection in the field of emotion and feeling in the
mind can be transformed into divine love through this technique called
Bhakti Yoga.
There is another thing; mind also appears in man as various complexes.
Different people have got different complexes brought about by association
with various things. Suppose you are associated with a beautiful body,
you have then got the feeling: “I am very handsome” and you
feel a sense of superiority. Suppose you are associated with wealth,
you feel: “I am a rich man” and you look upon with contempt
those who are not having wealth. Suppose you are associated with a lot
of information, suppose you are a lecturer or a professor, this also
brings about a superiority complex and you feel: “I can teach others”.
If you know music, if you know boxing,—anything you know, at once
gets crystallised as Abhimana. You may have a superiority complex of
birth, wealth, learning, strength, beauty, influence, high post—all
these are called Abhimana. It is a most terrible bondage for the being,
for all these complexes have got their direct connection with the body.
Therefore, you can never get out of the bondage of Abhimana.
Vedanta goes to the very root and destroys the body-idea itself, but
for those who are not prepared to go to the highest Vedanta, and who
are caught up in these whole host of Abhimana, the method is to crush
all these. How? By becoming absolutely humble. Throw away all these
ideas and feel yourself one with the commonest, the simplest and the
humblest. The process of reducing oneself to the commonest, humblest
and simplest, is completely giving up all Abhimana. This is done through
a wonderful technique called Karma Yoga. A Karma Yogi should never take
work from others. He must wash his own clothes and sweep his own room.
He must not be ashamed to carry heavy loads. Feel that you are nothing.
If you want to remove Abhimana, you must do all things which the lower
mind does not like to do. So Karma Yoga is the war declared against
Abhimana. If an old woman is not able to take a bundle, a Karma Yogi
will immediately go and take that bundle. An ordinary man will not do
it due to Abhimana. He will not salute another first. Constantly rub
the Abhimana.
Gandhiji was a super Karma Yogin. He said that whoever went to Wardha,
for the first three months, should take up the duty of cleaning the
latrines. In India the lowest work is considered to be the cleaning
of latrines and it is that class called untouchables who are given that
job. If you touch them, you should wash yourself. Even in America people
of high society will not mix with lower class of society. There is a
barrier due to social strata and wealth. It is also fairly high in England.
Do a task which you think lowers your dignity, because to make yourself
a cipher, you should reduce all superiority complexes. It makes you
simple, humble and gentle and it expands your heart. It makes you feel
oneness with all kinds of people. That is the preparation for the expansion
of consciousness into the still higher stage, and in a purified mind
the Sattvic thoughts of divinity come. Some people hold that Karma Yoga
is itself an independent Yoga, while others think that it is only an
auxiliary Yoga.
In Raja Yoga, Sage Patanjali has said, you have to counteract Ajnana
by Vichara. You try to root out each one of these deep-rooted complexes
by completely trying to humble yourself through Karma Yoga or motiveless
service. Service is always considered to be a lesser man’s work
for the higher man. Therefore, do the lesser man’s work, simple,
dedicated, motiveless service. Christ showed it in a wonderful manner.
He washed the feet of his disciples just before the last supper. Patanjali
has also said: “The mind attaches itself to wrong and perishable
objects; why not therefore completely stop this mischievous fellow?”
We have to completely stop him working. Then what can he do? Therefore,
switch off the main switch at the power house. All the vagaries of the
mind will come to a stop.
Vritti-Nirodha
Every process of thought has its root in the activity of the mind.
Because the mind is active there arise feelings, emotions and all types
of wrong perceptions. Therefore, stop the activity of the mind. I have
told you what the very first manifestation of the active mind is. A
ripple arises in the mind-lake. Afterwards imagination arises and then
desire. The first and foremost thing is a mere idea. That is the simplest
projection in the mind-stuff, simple thinking devoid of any bias. It
is only when imagination and egoism are attached to the idea, the whole
process arises. Idea as such has no power. If you go and attach yourself
to it, it will become an effective mischief-maker. The wise have said:
“Completely inhibit all ideas. Do not allow even a single ripple
to manifest itself in the mind-lake. Make it absolutely calm, without
a single Vritti. Stop the primal manifestation of the mind itself”.
Therefore, the first Sutra of Sage Patanjali is Yogas-Chitta-Vritti-Nirodhah—Yoga
is the inhibition of the modifications of the mind.
When the mental processes are completely stopped, the superconsciousness
is given a chance to manifest itself. The favourable condition necessary
for the manifestation of the higher consciousness is absolute stillness
of the mind. So when the highest consciousness arises in Samadhi, all
Vasanas are fried. This analogy is taken out of the experience in the
physical world. Every seed is a potential tree. But if you fry the seed
and then put it in good soil and water it, it will not germinate. Yoga
says that Vasana is fried in the fire of knowledge. Sage Patanjali went
to the very root of Adhyasa. He said, stop this mischief-maker once
for all. And Raja Yoga gives the technique of completely stopping the
activity of the mind. Therefore, you find that all these Yogas attempt
to tackle the mind in its different aspects—different aspects which
hold down the individual consciousness firmly to this wrong lower self.
And these different aspects are suited to different people in whom some
one or other aspect is predominant. Swami Sivanandaji has said that
you should not be lop-sided. As you do Raja Yoga, you should keep up
the other Yogas also as accessories. Swamiji advocates the synthesis
of Yogas. You should have all Yogas, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga
and Jnana Yoga. You will find this unity of Sadhana very beneficial.
All the various Yogas try to work out the same process of transformation
of the mind from a state of nescience resulting in wrong identification,
activity and emotion, to a higher state. The approaches are different
in respect of the different individuals in whom some aspect or the other
is predominant.
Every thought that is entertained gains strength and creates in the
mind a tendency for the repetition of that thought. If you think a thought,
the natural tendency of the mind is to think it again. Any thought deliberately
held in the mind at once demands repetition, and whatever thoughts you
think they tend to become manifest as actions. If you hold a compassionate
thought, it somehow or other makes you do a compassionate deed. If you
hold a sensual, gluttonous thought, it forces you to perform a sensual,
gluttonous activity. An angry thought will want you to do a harsh action,
and a passionate thought will force you to do a passionate action. Any
thought tends to make the individual perform a corresponding type of
action. This is the second thing you have to understand.
Action once done also tends to repeat itself. That is the habit of
action. Actions if repeated become a habit in man. Unconsciously you
begin to follow that particular type of action. Habit is the third phase
which takes place by holding to a particular type of thought, and by
your habits your character becomes affected. Character moulds your destiny.
Thus, from thoughts arise actions, from actions habits, from habits
character, and from character destiny. So you see the importance of
holding to the right type of thought. You should carefully remove all
thoughts that are inimical to progress and inner unfoldment.
Yoga Sadhana
Mind is the arch enemy of the unfoldment of spiritual consciousness.
It is the mind that acts as the greatest barrier in its various aspects,
as craving, Vikshepa or unsteadiness, etc. If the mind is absolutely
steady, the light of the Atman gets itself fully reflected. Ahamkara,
the self-arrogating little personality never allows us to realise our
essential nature. The process of remembrance (Smriti) is also a great
obstacle. Avichara Buddhi along with the above various aspects of the
mind taken together is a great slayer of the Atman. The Atmic consciousness
is not allowed to manifest itself. There is an irresistible tendency
for thought to become translated into action and every action becomes
a habit in the nature of man, and when habits are constantly indulged
in they become part and parcel of his nature.
All behaviour of man is based upon character. Every Karma becomes fruitful
seed for reaction later on. As he lives, he builds up the whole superstructure
of Karma which becomes his destiny. So we find how the thought of man
governs his destiny and also the importance of selected thought, right
thinking and the avoidance of wrong thinking. We also find how in the
science of Raja Yoga, the ultimate technique is aimed at the stoppage
of all functions that are the root activity of the mind. But already
we are in the grip of its wide ramifications in the form of likes, dislikes,
imaginations, fancies and thoughts. Therefore, before we proceed to
the root, we have to destroy these ramifications. Suppose you want to
give battle to a lion; first of all you have to travel in the jungle
and ultimately come to its den. Chittavritti is the den of the lion
of the mind and you have first to cut all its manifestations in the
form of jealousy, Kama, hatred, etc., and the whole host of wrong actions
which are caused by wrong thoughts have to be corrected. It is a process
of narrowing down the range of our attack until we come to the target.
In order to cut the mental functions in its extrovert far-flung manifestations,
Sage Patanjali took up the exposition of Raja Yoga and did it in a very
scientific and methodical way. Apart from man’s nature as a rational
being with a gross lower self pulling him downwards, there is his essential
spiritual nature, and in between, we have the Buddhiyukta Manushya,
one who is capable of thinking being endowed with a mind. So in
the centre is the being endowed with thinking capacity as distinguished
from the world of subhuman species which cannot think.
Apart from the result of the study of man in his essential nature,
Sage Patanjali made a study of man as he is actually composed and he
arrived at the above conclusion. He made the study of the universal
man, not a Hindu or a Mohammedan, but the man constituted as he is all
over, when he is created upon earth and will continue to be till the
last day of his existence. He found out that, first and foremost, he
is of the nature of pure Existence essentially. Man is the Spirit essentially.
He is a spiritual entity, and this is evident to everyone who thinks.
The ultimate principle in man is his Being. No one can imagine his own
non-being, for if you have to imagine your own non-being, there must
be an imaginer to imagine that, and therefore, the imaginer is the ultimate
Being. The ultimate undying principle of man is Being. He IS. I exist.
I am pure Existence, pure Being, Kevala Sat, and this essential portion
of man is the fundamental part of his personality. Patanjali then found
that this fundamental fact is somewhere inside, whereas the first thing
that appears to man when he sees another man is his physical being.
Our experience of a human being is only a certain shape, appearance
and features. So Patanjali said, there is the physical, gross sheath
of man. That is one aspect of man and within this there is the thinking
man. There is the mental aspect of being, the mental sheath. Ideation
occurs, thoughts come, and the being begins to think and out of the
thought the body is made to act in order to give expression to the thought.
The entire life of man is an expression of his thoughts, and these expressions
are in the form of various actions, and so there is the thinking man.
He said that in between these there is a link. Between the thinking
man and the acting man there is the power to act. There is a peculiar
invisible, internal electricity, as it were, which makes a man act.
This power which animates the human being, without which all the senses
will be absolutely incapable of any activity, is Prana Sakti. The eye
sees through the power of Prana. The ear hears through the power of
Prana. The tongue speaks through the power of Prana.
At the time of death when the Prana is withdrawn, the process of departure
commences. Death means the flying away of the Prana from the body. So
actually we are all moving and talking corpses only. When the Prana
goes away, we will become absolutely immobile, because the Prana is
moving the body, is acting, eating, enjoying, etc. All this is due to
Prana Sakti. This is the third aspect of man, and behind it as the mover
of all, is the pure Self, ‘I am’. But a peculiar confusion
has occurred. You have got yourself identified with the mind, and you
have thought yourself to be part and parcel of the mind, though in rare
moments unconsciously you assert your unattached, witness-nature. When
you say, ‘My mind is restless’, you unconsciously admit you
are one and the mind is something which you possess. So you are different
from mind when you make such statements as: “My mind is restless”,
“I cannot control my mind”, etc. These are the spontaneous
expressions of your real nature. So, physical body-sheath, vital Pranic
sheath and the mental sheath—these three aspects of the being are
temporary, passing, superficial and the non-essential aspects of the
being, and the essential aspect is Being itself. You are yourself the
pure Existence, unborn, eternal and ancient—Ajo Nityah Sasvatoyam
Puranah. Long before the mind manifested itself You were. The study
of man as he is in reality, as a centre of pure Being covered up by
mind-sheath, Pranic sheath and the grossest physical body-sheath, made
by Patanjali, discloses a graded method. It is a very well-thought out
and a very scientifically invented method.
Raja Yoga
Now, how many Yogas are there? There are infinite number of Yogas.
Anything that frees you from sorrow and gives you real bliss is Yoga.
There are various practices but essentially Yoga is one, and the several
practices are there in order to suit people of different capacities
and tendencies. In order to suit the different temperaments and aptitudes,
the ancients have prescribed different paths. These paths are not antagonistic
to one another. This is the first thing to be born in mind, and consequently
all these paths ultimately work out a self-same process. You may get
the number ten by adding three and seven, or four and six, or five and
five, or in some other way. The resulting number ten is the same. Even
so, the process of Yoga may apparently differ on the surface, yet inwardly
the central process, which they work is one and the same. And what is
that central process? The wise say there is a veil which hides the Reality.
It is called Maya in relation to the Cosmic Being, Isvara, and it is
called Avarana in relation to the Jiva or individual soul. The individual
soul gets circumscribed in an individual consciousness. When this veil
is removed, it realises its identity with the Supreme Soul. To remove
this veil is the purpose of Yoga. Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Raja Yoga
do the same thing. They take a particular aspect of man and through
that enable the Jiva to realise its identity with the Supreme Soul.
Man is endowed with intellect, emotion and the mystic faculty of introspection,
and the Yoga that suits a particular person is in measure to that particular
faculty which is predominant in his nature. If the intellect is predominant,
the path of knowledge or Jnana Yoga is resorted to by that seeker. If
emotion is the predominating faculty, the approach to the Reality is
made through Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion. If the occult faculty
of introspection is predominant, then Raja Yoga is made use of. Raja
Yoga is also called Dhyana Yoga. Karma Yoga is common to all. Whether
you are a Jnana Yogi or Dhyana Yogi or Bhakti Yogi, Karma Yoga is necessary.
The secret of working in this world without getting attached to the
fruits of action is Karma Yoga. Anasakti (non-attachment) is the secret
of Karma Yoga. It is Anasakta (unattached) Karma that releases you from
all bondages.
Raja Yoga is for those who are of mystic and inward temperament. How
do we proceed in it? In Raja Yoga there are eight distinct stages. Therefore
it is called Ashtanga Yoga. Ashta means eight and Anga means limb. In
Jnana Yoga, in the beginning there is a stage where the Sadhaka should
acquire the necessary qualifications, the Sadhana-Chatushtaya, the
fourfold qualifications—discrimination, dispassion, the sixfold
virtues such as control of mind, control of senses, endurance, etc.,
and lastly a keen and intense longing for liberation. Equipped with
these qualifications you have to approach a Guru and hear from his lips
the nature of Reality. This hearing is called Sravana. Then you should
reflect over what you have heard. This is called Manana. Then you should
ceaselessly contemplate on that. This is Nididhyasana. Just as there
are these steps in Jnana Yoga, in Raja Yoga there are eight steps or
limbs. Hence it is called Ashtanga Yoga. It is also called Patanjali
Yoga, because Patanjali was the Sage who expounded this Yoga. Raja Yoga
is the most scientific and logical of all Yogas. Hence the term ‘Yoga’
generally refers to Raja Yoga. Yoga Darsana means Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali.
By tradition it is called Raja Yoga. In fact all paths have to culminate
in meditation. Because of the great importance it attaches to meditation,
Raja Yoga is also known as Dhyana Yoga.
The eight limbs of Raja Yoga are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara,
Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Out of these, Yama, Niyama, Asana and Pranayama
are the preliminary stages. The Yoga proper starts from Pratyahara or
abstraction of the mind and the senses. Yama is the cultivation of certain
virtues. Niyama is the following of certain daily observances. Asana
is the acquisition of perfect steadiness of pose and Pranayama is the
discipline, control and regulation of our gross physical breath, which
is connected with the inner subtle nerve-currents. Pratyahara is the
withdrawal of senses and mind from the external objects of this universe,
and Dharana is the fixing of the mind on the object of meditation. Dhyana
is mastery over Dharana, and continuous, unbroken fixing of the mind
on the object of meditation. Dharana is sporadic, but when you have
attained mastery over Dharana, you are able to fix your mind upon the
object of meditation steadily for a long time. In the depths of meditation,
you transcend the lower, physical consciousness and you experience the
highest superconsciousness. This is called Samadhi.
Here, you should make a distinction between the Asana of Hatha Yoga
and the Asana of Raja Yoga. The Asanas in Raja Yoga are not the Asanas
(of which there are about eighty-four lakhs) taught in Hatha Yoga. The
Asana in Raja Yoga means any one steady pose which is required for the
practice of contemplation. The purpose of the Asanas taught in Hatha
Yoga is different. In Raja Yoga the definition of Asana is Sthirasukham-asanam—holding
of the body in a steady and comfortable pose. Any comfortable pose in
which you can keep the body steady for a long period of time is Asana.
It is laid down that if a Yogi has to take up Pranayama, Pratyahara,
etc., certainly he should be able to sit in a steady pose at least for
three hours. Thus, we have to distinguish the Asana in Raja Yoga from
the Asana in Hatha Yoga.
Raja Yoga helps us first to control the gross, physical body, and then
step by step it leads us on to the control of subtler sheaths—the
Pranic sheath, the mental sheath, the intellectual sheath and the bliss-sheath—and
takes us to the eternal, ever-perfect Self which is beyond all these
sheaths.
Thus the approach is made starting from the most external, the physical
body and proceeding to subtler and subtler bodies, and so, Raja Yoga
is a very scientific and logical method of inner purification and self-perfection.
Sage Patanjali first tackled the body which is most external. You find
that the external gross physical manifestation of the mind is in the
form of the activities of the body. Therefore he says, “All right,
I have to remove the impurities of the mind. For that first of all,
let me try to close up the effects. Let me suppress the symptoms”.
He says that the cause is kept up by the play of the symptoms. The functions
of the mind are fattened more and more when you give expressions to
them in the form of actions. The real thing is to control the mind,
yet the wise experience of Patanjali during his meditations was that
actions also react upon thought. Every time you act, you strengthen
the thought. Thoughts gain momentum when they are taken up to their
logical conclusion—external act. At least stop its grossest physical
manifestation. Of course, the perfectionist would at once raise the
objection that there is no use of suppressing action and that the actual
thing is to change your mind.
But it is not so easy a job. Directly controlling the mind is very
difficult. Mind does whatever it wants to do. Whatever fancy it takes,
it is made into action. First of all put a number of checks. Where it
tries to manifest itself as activity say ‘No’. Declare a war
against the mind in its most external manifestations. The various resolves
and vows which appear to be foolish for the unthinking man who says
that transformation of the mind is real Yoga, may not be useful for
one who has transcended the stage; but we cannot afford to disregard
them in the initial stages. We who are on the threshold should know
that these things are as important as the next stages. Supposing there
is a ladder where the rungs are so placed that you cannot just manage
to avoid any rung. If you say that you do not want the first rung, you
will always be on the ground.
The mind is very deceptive. It will bring in subtle excuses. It will
bring philosophy: “I have passed that stage in my previous lives.
It does not matter if I take five cups of tea and go on eating meat”.
One who says like this is a slave to his tongue. He cannot give up eating
meat. What is giving up of meat? It means you assert your mastery over
your mind. If you say: “I will get up at 4 a.m. and take bath in
cold water”, it all means a continuous process of again and again
asserting the superiority of your spiritual nature over the pull of
your unreal lower nature. You cannot all of a sudden separate your higher
spiritual nature and the lower material nature. In order to separate
them, you have to observe spiritual vows. But one must remember that
giving up certain things that you like alone is not Yoga, but such practices
are important for the attainment of real Yoga. Therefore, Sage Patanjali
said, “First of all put a check on your external nature”.
At least control your physical actions, if you cannot control your desires
all of a sudden.
Everyone knows that the physical action has got the greatest effect
on mind. You can go on thinking about certain indulgence, but the shock
that is given back on the psyche by actually putting into action the
indulgence is the greatest. The shock through an imagination is not
so very great as the shock given to the psyche by the actual action.
Action becomes a concrete part of man’s memory and agitates him
much more than mere thinking, fancying or imagining. Therefore, Patanjali
said, first of all purify every activity and put a check on all of them.
How to do it? He said, take certain vows and conform your conduct to
certain universal laws. What are they? They constitute the Yamas. Take
up a vow that I shall act according to the laws of truth, non-injury,
non-covetousness, non-stealing, etc.
There are five Yamas. Why only five, why not ten? Why not some other
number? This is also based upon wisdom and experience. He found that
if the five fundamental universal laws are made to prevail in your life,
then all the other lesser good qualifies will come to you of their own
accord. He calls these five fundamental virtues as universal vows, i.e.,
vows which should be observed under all conditions, at all places and
at all times. They are Ahimsa (non-injury), Satya (truth), Brahmacharya
(celibacy), Asteya (non-stealing) and Aparigraha (non-covetousness).
The resolutions taken and the aspirants’ struggle to observe these
vows will be found to have their effect of putting a stop to almost
all wrong activity of human being. All unrighteous actions are due to
either falsehood, dishonesty, cunningness or due to greed, impurity,
lust, passions, or due to cruel nature, harming others, or causing loss
to others. In this way, all the actions of a bad or wicked man will
be found to pertain to one or other of these evil qualities—falsehood,
cruelty, lust, greed and the tendency to deprive others of what belongs
to them. So this is the conclusion of Patanjali. He asks the aspirants
to stop all external manifestations of evil thoughts in the mind, evil
motives and evil feelings, and see that their actions are made to conform
to these five great universal laws of love, truth, purity, absence of
greed and non-stealing. In these, he first laid the foundation for bringing
about a thorough transformation of the lower nature of the mind, and
freeing it from its outermost manifestations. From the circumference
he goes to the centre.
We have found how external discipline is very necessary, because it
has got a very great influence on the mind. If evil thoughts arise in
the mind, the duty would be to inhibit the actions which come as their
result. You know if a particular muscle is not exercised, it shrinks
and becomes atrophied. Just like that, the physical action of the mind
becomes atrophied. So a habit is formed. If a thought comes, the mind
goes to the action constantly checking the senses, and this habit acts
as a sort of Nirodha. Nirodha means something that checks. You make
use of the pernicious nature of mind itself to counteract it. Counter
the bad actions by good actions. This is Yama. This is the first stage
in the attack directed against the lower mind for subduing it.
Ahimsa
The first of the Yamas or restraints is the practice of Ahimsa or non-injury.
Two important points are to be borne in mind in this connection. Firstly,
note that Ahimsa is not just non-killing, but, it means non-injury,
indicating thereby that it is entire abstinence from causing any pain
or harm whatsoever to any creature. The second point is that Yamas constitute
universal vows. They are not conditioned or limited by class, time,
place, circumstance, etc. The earnest aspirant should adhere strictly
to them at any cost at all times. Their practice is not to be regarded
as occasional or as a matter of desirable policy, but they are to become
all-important principles dominating your life.
What is the special importance of Ahimsa in spiritual life? Why is
it given the first place in Yamas? What are its true implication and
significance? To understand this, you consider for a moment what is
the meaning and purpose of spiritual life and Sadhana. Sadhana is the
process of transforming the imperfect, limited human personality into
the original unlimited splendour of perfect Divinity. Man has a lower
animal nature, a human nature and the latent essential Divine nature
which is his true Self. Spiritual life is the conquest and subdual of
the animal nature and the sublimation of the human into the Divine nature.
Now in the light of the above, consider what is the chief characteristic
of the brutal animal? It is ferociousness and cruelty. Therefore, the
very first step in the conquest of the lower animalistic self in man
is the eradication of this base, horrible propensity. Even the most
civilised, most cultured, educated, refined and polished of people have
this trait in them. Ladies, too! Even the so-called high class or aristocratic
folks have this streak of sadism in them. Harshness and ill-treatment
towards children by parents, servants by masters, daughters-in-law by
mothers-in-law, wives by callous husbands, etc., are universally prevalent
in modern society. Anger is the form and medium it expresses itself
through. Therefore, Ahimsa or the vow to abstain from causing the least
pain in thought, word or deed is prescribed by Maharshi Patanjali as
the best and most efficacious means of eradicating this animal propensity
from the nature of the aspirant.
Besides, the attainment of Divinity means the development and manifestation
of the Godly nature. Daivi-Sampat or Divya Svabhava is to be cultivated.
God is love. Love perfectly and entirely excludes all giving of pain
or doing of harm. Thus violence and cruelty are totally incompatible
with love. Santam, Sivam, Subham is the nature of the Divine Being and
hence Ahimsa came to be regarded as the highest of virtues—“Ahimsa
Paramo Dharmah”. Hence it is given the first place among the
five items under Yama in Raja Yoga.
To turn away a beggar with a harsh refusal from your door is breach
of Ahimsa. To thoughtlessly disappoint a person after giving him a definite
promise and hope about some matter, is breach of Ahimsa. Slighting or
showing deliberate discourtesy to a person before others is wanton cruelty.
All harsh and rude speech is Himsa. To make another commit harm or even
approve of another’s cruel action is breach of Ahimsa. To fail
to relieve another’s pain or even to neglect to go to the help
of a person in distress, too, is a sort of Himsa. It is the sin of omission.
Wounding the feelings of others by gesture, expression, tone of voice
and unkind words must be given up entirely if you are earnest in the
practice of Ahimsa and really serious about your Sadhana and if you
truly and sincerely want quick progress and attainment of eternal bliss
and Kaivalya. What you practise, do it perfectly. Become embodiments
of the divine quality of Ahimsa.
Satyam
The second of the universal vows, which Maharshi Patanjali lays down
for the seeker to practise is the strict observance of Satyam or truthfulness.
You have to be absolutely truthful, if you want to progress towards
God, who is Truth. To realise the Truth, one must live in truth. One
must grow into the very same form of Truth. Not a partial, but a perfect
and comprehensive adherence to truth is, therefore, the second element
in forming the foundation of the Sadhaka’s life.
As it has already been pointed out previously (in connection with Ahimsa),
likewise here, too, you have to remember that these items of Yama have
to be foll
