Concentration may also be attained by fixing the mind upon the inner Light, which is beyond sorrow.|| 1.36 ||
Here Patanjali gives another method to calm the mind. By contemplating on pure inner light our depressed mind is illumined. We are what we think. By thinking about brilliant, positive, and suspicious things, the mind also becomes the same. The inner light is all pervasive and it illumines the whole universe. That pure light is also called Vasudeva.
The Yogacharya Bhagavan Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta says this:
jyotisham api taj jyotis tamasah param uchyate jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam || 13.18 ||
He is the source of light in all luminaries and is entirely beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge. He dwells within the hearts of all living beings.
School dropouts start working at the age of 15 to earn money. While the rest continue their studies to acquire additional qualifications. The remunerations degree holders end up getting is far higher than school dropouts. Initially, a 15-year-old is happy to start earning early, but with limited skills, he or she will not see career progression. This leads to spending the later part of the years in regret for not acquiring additional skills.
Most people spend their free time and weekends socialising in the name of having fun and only to regret in the later part of their life for squandering their precious time. The seekers of the above type of happiness are of an unsteady type and for such people, the doors of yoga will not open. Bhagavan Shri Krishna says this in Bhagavad Geeta:
vishayendriya-sanyogad yat tad agre ’mritopamam | pariname visham iva tat sukham rajasam smritam || 18.38 ||
Happiness is said to be in the mode of passion when it is derived from the contact of the senses with their objects. Such happiness is like nectar at first but poison at the end.
The Upanishad talks about a story, once kings from heaven, earth, and hell went to Lord Brahma for a mantra for happiness. Lord Brahma said da and asked them to contemplate on it. The word da was understood differently by all three of them. Kings from heaven were busy partying and they understood the mantra da as dama – meaning has niyama in life and have control over the senses.
Kings from the earth were generally selfish and stingy and they understood the mantra da as daana meaning becoming magnanimous in life through charity and selfless service. The kings from the hell were cruel by nature and they understood the mantra da as daya meaning be kind to others.
This santosha sutrada applies to all of us. We can have happiness in life by having dama, daana, and daya in life.
Dama can be implemented in life by following the foundation principles of yoga through the practice of yama and niyama.
Daana charity helps in purifying ourselves through purging out negativities and sins.
Daya helps in sustainable living through harmony in society. Following the above santosha sutra, we can have a sustained blossoming of happiness from within.
Initially following the principles of niyama seem to be difficult but the result is lasting happiness for oneself and others.
yat tad agre visham iva pariname ‘mritopamam | tat sukham sattvikam proktam atma-buddhi-prasada-jam || 18.27 ||
That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end, is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. It is generated by the pure intellect that is situated in self-knowledge.
After Yudhishthira became a king, others applauded him saying now you have everything at your disposal and now you can enjoy your life. For that king, Yudhishthira replied saying that though the palace is big, he required a small space for himself. Though the bed is big, he needed a small space to sleep. Though the kitchen is big, he could eat a few morsels to fill his stomach. Yudhishthira had realised that his outer comforts were not a source of his happiness in life.
Lord Shri Krishna says in Bhagavad Geeta that by going within and connecting with the changeless, the highest, the Light of all Lights, Lord Vasudeva who is the closest friend residing in every heart one realises unshakable happiness.
Having realized Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the selfless friend of all living beings, My devotee attains peace.
Yoga talks about inner peace and outer joy. The full manifestation of santosha happens through inner contemplation and its outer manifestation. Inner contemplation happens when we disengage from outer things and outer manifestation happens when we engage with outer things. The balance between inner contemplation and outer manifestation is yoga. The balance between sanyasa yoga and karma yoga is a key for santosha in life. Without an inward journey, we cannot be successful in our outward journey.
By fixing the mind on a single modification generated by the sensory objects, the mind is calmed || 1.35 || Here Patanjali gives another method to calm the mind. Outer objects are not responsible for our happiness or sorrows but the identification of sense organs with the objects makes us happy or sad in life. A bar of chocolate by itself cannot make us happy. A hot chilly by itself cannot make us sad. When our sense organs get attached to them, we experience happiness or sorrow. By a careful analysis of this one will be able to remain equipoise in all situations.
The Yogacharya Bhagavan Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Geeta says this:
O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
One will easily be able to disengage the mind from the sense organs when one develops taste for higher things in life.
Aspirants may restrain the senses from their objects of enjoyment, but the taste for the sense objects remains. However, even this taste ceases for those who realises the Supreme.
To counteract the unsteadiness, the practice upon a single ideal||1.32 ||
As mentioned in sutras 1.30-1.31 twelve obstacles come in our way to prevent us from progressing in our inner journey. This can be prevented by having an ultimate goal in life, and firm faith in one’s sadhana. A seeker – sadhak needs inner stamina and without that, he or she cannot succeed in sadhana. The seeker gets the inner stamina only through the blessings of a Guru. Gu means darkness and Ru means light. In our inner journey, we are lone travelers and we come across many obstacles in the path such as sickness, depression, doubts, confusion, laziness, imagination, wrong information, arrogance, etc.
These obstacles are called darkness and to overcome these we need light. A Guru is a light. A Guru shows the way to the light. A Guru illumines the way to the inner light. A Guru gives focus to our life.
The simultaneous experience along with the distractions are the pain, mental agitation, tremor of limbs and irregular breathing. ||1.31 ||
The nine obstacles to sadhana as mentioned in the previous sutra – distractions of the mind caused by the disease, dullness, doubt, negligence, sloth, over-indulgence, imaginary ideation, inability to reach the milestone and instability lead to four afflictions in the physical, mental and breath levels.
On the physical level, they trouble us with restless limbs, and one will not be at ease on the physical level. In the breath level, these impediments lead to erratic breathing which affects one physically and mentally. On the mental level, they bring in sorrow, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
Patanjali urges us to address the nine obstacles to sadhana so that we can be at ease in the physical, breath and mental levels.
The true aspirant reaches the highest through firm belief, intense energy, memorising the good things, immersing oneself in bliss and illumination|| 1.20 ||
In this sutra Patanjali says that the five qualities are essential to gain the highest knowledge.
Shradda: One should have faith in the Lord, scriptures and should have complete trust in the words of the Guru.
Veerya: One should put in ambitious efforts to know the truth. This can be honed through the company of noble people.
Smruti: One should have a sharp memory. Repeated practice helps in improving the memory. Daily chanting of Gayatri manta also helps in improving the memory. Bad habits like intoxicants is sentimental to the good memory.
Samadhi: Unwavering mind is called samadhi.
Prajna Poorvaka: Through samadhi the inner meaning opens up and true knowledge dawns within.
It is believed that Patanjali was an incarnation of Adi Sesha. The story unfolds as Lord Vishnu reclining on Adi Sesha and Lord Shiva performing the Thandavam dance to please Lord Vishnu. While this was in progress, Adi Sesha experienced Lord Vishnu becoming too heavy at times to the point of suffocating him and at other times becoming as light as a feather. This created the desire in Adi Sesha also to please the Lord and thus happened the incarnation of Patanjali. The name Patanjali came from the circumstances of his birth: he fell (Pata) into his mother’s palms (Anjali) while she was praying.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra draws its inspiration from Bhagawat Gita. This treatise has 196 Sutras categorized into 4 sections:
Samadhi Pada (Yoga and its aims.)
Sadhana Pada (How to practice yoga?)
Vibhuti Pada (Sidhis that can be achieved by practicing Yoga.)
Kaivalya Pada (How to attain liberation?)
We will see each Sutra under a unique light in forthcoming articles.
Deepawali Greetings! Deepawali means chain of light. For a saadhak ( practitioner of higher knowledge) this is not merely external light.
Deepawali is celebrated on the new moon day. This year Deepawali falls on the 11 of November 2015. Deepawali also signifies return of triumphant Lord Shri Rama to Ayodhya after vanquishing evil forces such as Ravana. For many people Deepawali is a day of Lakshmi and they use this day as launch of financial new year.
The day before Deepawali which is on the 10 November 2015, is celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi. This day signifies the killing of Narakasura by Lord Shri Krishna and release of over 16,000 women who were held captive by Narakasura.
Three days before Deepawali (on the 8 November this year), a lamp is lit in the evening, facing south; it is called as Yamadeep. This signifies the removing of untimely death (apa mrityu) in the house.
The day after Deepawali is celebrated as Bali Pratipat. This day signifies the curbing of ego of a noble but arrogant king Bali by the Lord in the form of a dwarf boy Vamana.
Apart from the above Puranic stories, Deepawali has a deeper spiritual meaning to the yoga practitioners. Outer light requires gross materials and when the gross material is consumed, the light extinguishes. Light means knowledge and it is fathomless. Inner light is permanent and is the source of real joy and peace. With one’s light, we can illumine the light in another person’s heart. Because of this Light all the other lights are illumined. Shri Krishna, in Bhagawat Gita, says:
Light of all lights resides in everyone’s heart; only through knowledge and contemplation this can be experienced.
Once one experiences this light, one must share with others and enlighten others. As theupanishad mantra says tamaso ma jyotirgamaya – Let us move away from darkness and move towards Light. This is the real Deepawali celebration!
