RAJA YOGA , MESSAGE 1

                               Raja Yoga, Message 1

                                            Introduction

The Inward Path to Liberation

Yoga is the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul. Just as camphor melts and becomes one with the fire, just as a drop of water when it is thrown into the ocean becomes one with the ocean, the individual soul — when it is purified, when it is freed from lust, greed, hatred and egoism, when it becomes pure — becomes one with the Supreme Soul.

The process of yoga embodies an ascent into purity, into that absolute perfection which is the original state of man. It implies therefore the removal of the enveloping impurities, the stilling of the discordant vibratory tempo of the lower sheaths and the establishment of a state of perfect balance and harmony.

Now, all the above-mentioned factors that bind down the individual soul may be seen to be operating on a larger scale through humanity as a whole. The present age is enmeshed in ignorance (characterised by restlessness, a blind clinging to earthly existence, perverted individualism and voluptuous abandonment to pleasures of the flesh) and violence, strife and discord in all walks of life.

Modern age is the machine age. As such it is power-ridden. Discovery of newer ways of generating power, exploiting fresh aspects of known forces and inventing machines to make machines is the present craze under man's control, but man himself does not have his senses and his mind under his control. This has resulted in the misuse and abuse of the fruits of civilisation and science, because all power corrupts. The adoption of the yoga way of life is the release from and the guarantee against such abuse of power and the resultant disaster. Training in yoga brings to man several supernormal powers that no machine can ever generate. Yet the discipline laid down on the path ensures against their abuse.

—Swami Sivananda

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                                 Yoga 

What is Yoga?

The term 'yoga' comes from the root 'yuj' which means 'to join'. In its spiritual sense it is the process by which the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is realised by the yogi. Yoga means union with the Lord. This is the goal of human life. It is the be-all and end-all of human existence.

Yoga also means 'addition'. When the restless individual soul is added to the Supreme Soul it finds eternal rest and supreme satisfaction.

The word 'yoga' is also applicable in a secondary sense to all those factors that go to constitute yoga, that are conducive to the final achievement or fulfilment of yoga and as such indirectly lead to final freedom or perfection. A yogi is one who has reached the highest state of samadhi (asamprajnata). One who is attempting to get perfection in yoga is also called a yogi.

The first object of life in yoga is to get over body-consciousness. Separate yourself from the objects without, and unite yourself with the Atman within. This is yoga.

Yoga is the science that teaches the method of joining the human spirit with God. It is the divine science which disentangles the jiva from the phenomenal world of sense objects and links him with the Absolute, whose inherent attributes are infinite knowledge, unbroken joy and an eternal life. It is the science of sciences which helps the aspirant to attain Self-realisation. Patanjali Maharishi, the exponent of the raja yoga system, is the master scientist. Western philosophers — Pythagoras, Plato, Emerson, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Descartes, Max Muller and Paul Deussen — have eulogised the science of yoga very highly.

Yoga is spiritual or divine life. Yoga means union or communion with God. The yoga system believes in a personal God and pays much importance to revelation. It teaches how to live in union with God. Life in God brings eternal bliss. To live in God, to commune with God, is yoga. God is an ocean of bliss. Those who forget God undergo sufferings, troubles, miseries and tribulations.

Yogic living implies discriminative living. Yoga is equanimity, equipoise or equilibrium. It is skill in the performance of actions. Yoga is disconnection from union with pain and freedom from attachment and desires. It is the turning away of the senses from the objective universe and the concentration of the mind within.

Yoga is eternal life in the soul or spirit. It transmutes a man into divinity. It brings a message of hope to the forlorn, joy to the depressed, strength to the weak and knowledge to the ignorant. It is the secret master-key to open the realms of eternal bliss and deep abiding peace. It helps the practitioner to enter into conscious communion with the Lord through samadhi, to separate himself from the three gunas and eventually to attain kaivalya or liberation.

Yoga is a perfect practical system of self-culture. You can attain harmonious development of your body, mind and soul by the practice of yoga. You can acquire absolute control over the whole of nature by its practice. It helps the student to attain ethical perfection and perfect concentration of the mind and to unfold various psychic powers. It teaches applied psychology. It cannot be used for attaining petty ends, such as to find out whether a man is alive or not or to find out who has stolen an article. If it is so used it will become a jugglery or magic; it is no longer yoga. Yoga is not for attaining siddhis or powers, it is a method of strict discipline of mind, senses and the physical body. It imposes restrictions on diet, sleep, company, behaviour, speech and thought. It should be practised under the guidance of an expert yogi.

The yogi sees the soul everywhere and realises the Lord everywhere. He regards the happiness and pain of all as his own happiness and pain, because he has cosmic consciousness, he has broken down all barriers of distinction, separateness and difference. He has equal vision and equanimity of mind. He enjoys the divine ecstasy of samadhi or the bliss of God-consciousness. His heart is filled with pure love and compassion.

Yoga advocates complete detachment from secular interests for the sake of practising uninterrupted meditation. It recommends meditation on the inner light of the heart or anything that is pleasing to you. It prescribes that one should withdraw himself from the ordinary affairs of life for the purpose of practising constant meditation. Yoga also can be practised at home by having a well-regulated life.

Spiritual growth is gradual. There is progressive evolution. You should not be in a feverish hurry to accomplish great yoga feats or enter into nirvikalpa samadhi in two or three months.

When the senses are unrestrained, when the body cannot obey you, when the passions are still ruling you, you cannot enjoy peace everlasting. You cannot fix the mind even on a point or object of meditation. Therefore follow the line of self-discipline presented in the science of yoga. The senses have to be thoroughly subjugated, divine virtues have to be cultivated and evil qualities have to be eradicated. The mind has to be thoroughly controlled. The task is a stupendous one, it is up-hill work. You will have to practise rigorous austerity and meditation and wait patiently for the results. You will have to march in the spiritual path stage by stage.

You will not be able to catch your own shadow, however hard you may try to get at it. Face the sun. Turn your back upon the shadow. The same shadow will run after you. Even so, if you run after money and earthly possessions you will not get them. Turn your back upon mundane wealth. Soar high in the realms of the bliss of the Atman, the inexhaustible spiritual wealth. You will be in possession of all divine attributes. If you crave for a thing you will not get it. You will become a slave. Renounce the craving or desire for the object. The objects will follow you by themselves.

Your motive in learning yoga must be pure. You must have the one idea of getting Self-realisation through absolute celibacy. Have sex-sublimation. You must not misuse the power gained through yoga. Analyse and scrutinise your motive thoroughly. There are very many temptations and dangers on the yoga road.

If you have no attachment for the objects of the senses, if you have no thoughts which give rise to desires and impulses for the enjoyment of sensual objects and if the mind rests peacefully in Brahman, then you are established in yoga.

In the path of yoga the timid, the miserly and the cringing will not succeed. Those who are bold and who can sacrifice their lives, their heads, can be successful in this path. Only they who can fight back 'blood, sweat and tears' can reach the abode of immortal bliss and float in the river of peace and happiness.

Different Paths in Yoga 

Lust for power, material greed, sensual excitement, selfishness, passion for wealth and lower appetites have drawn man from his true life in the spirit into the materialistic life. He can regain his lost divine glory if he practises the principles of yoga in right earnest. Yoga transmutes animal nature into divine nature and raises him to the pinnacle of divine glory and splendour.

There are various kinds of yoga. Yoga varies according to the temperament of the practitioner, e.g. karma yoga for the active, bhakti for the devotional, raja yoga for the mystic and jnana yoga for the rational.

Hatha yoga is the path of controlling the prana and the physical body. It is not separate from raja yoga. Hatha yoga means the union between 'ha' and 'tha'. 'Ha' means the sun, 'tha' means the moon. Prana is known by the name 'sun'. Apana is known by the name 'moon'. Therefore hatha yoga is the union of the prana and the apana. Hatha yoga prepares the student for raja yoga. It is an auxiliary to raja yoga. It is a step to other yogas, not an end in itself.

Jnana yoga is the path of self-analysis, discrimination, reflection and enquiry. Raja yoga is the path of self-restraint or control of the vrittis of the mind. Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion and surrender, remembrance of God and singing His glories. Karma yoga is the path of selfless service without egoism and attachment to fruits.
Mantra yoga is the path of reciting mantras of God. Laya yoga is the path of dissolution of the mind, through hearing the anahat sounds. Kundalini yoga is the path of awakening kundalini and joining it with Lord Siva in the sahasrara chakra. Lambika yoga is the path of controlling prana through khechari mudra.

All yogas culminate in jnana yoga. Vedanta alone is the crowning glory of all yogas. It is the summit of the ladder of yoga. All meet in one common place — God — just as all radii meet in the centre of the circle, just as all spokes meet in the hub or nave of a wheel.

A karma yogi says that one can realise through karma yoga alone; a bhakta says that one can attain God-realisation through bhakti yoga alone; a jnani says that one can attain realisation through jnana yoga alone. But all the three theories of karma, bhakti and jnana are equally recognised by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita alone is the best harmonising combination of the three different pathways of God.

Benefits of Yoga 

Yoga holds out to us the way of self-perfection, so that one may learn how to live in the Eternal. Through the practice of yoga you are changed. You pass from darkness into light, from duality into oneness, from separation to unity, from bondage to liberation.

Even a little practice of yoga reduces misery, lessens the sense of despair and frustration and promotes confidence, strength, peace and happiness. Yoga purifies, transforms and divinises.

To be balanced in success and failure, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, to be a perfect master of oneself in all conditions and circumstances, to go through the routine of life patiently and joyfully amidst the din and clamour of the world — these are some of the characteristics of a disciplined soul or a yogi who has equanimity of mind.

Yoga helps in the co-ordination and control of the subtle forces within the body. You can have calmness of mind at all times by the practice of yoga. You can have restful sleep, increased energy, vigour, vitality, longevity and a high standard of health. You can turn out efficient work within a short space of time and have success in every walk of life. Yoga will infuse in you new strength, confidence and self-reliance and give you mastery over the mind, tongue, passions, emotions, impulses, temper, etc. The body and mind will be at your beck and call.

In yoga there is a new gospel, a new life, a new outlook, a new rule of conduct, a new joy, a new knowledge and a new hope for man. He grows and evolves quickly. He unfolds his latent powers and dormant faculties. He gets mastery over the impulses, cravings, senses, prana, mind and body. He triumphs over all sorts of weaknesses and fears, grief and sorrow, pain and tribulations. He finds God by the practice of yoga, he gets union with the Lord by disciplining the mind and the senses. He lifts up his base wicked mind — which was running in old ruts and sensual grooves — to the highest pinnacle of divine glory and purity.

God-consciousness or communion with the Lord is the acme of the ethico-religious discipline of yoga. This is attended by a remarkable sense of freedom and moral elevation on account of the crumbling down of the false illusory little 'I'. The yogi is in possession of all divine powers. He enjoys unalloyed eternal bliss.

Those who practise concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy. What others take six hours to do can be done within half an hour by one who has concentration. What others can read within six hours, can be read by the yogi in half an hour. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought and clarifies the ideas. Concentration helps a man in his material progress also. The man who practises concentration will have a very good out-turn of work in his office or business house. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite. What was difficult before becomes easy now; and what was complex, bewildering and confusing before comes easily within the mental grasp. You can achieve anything through concentration. He who practises concentration will possess very good health and very clear mental vision, and nothing is impossible for him.

A raja yogi's vision is deeply penetrating because he has gathered all the dissipated rays of the mind by disciplining it through patient sadhana. He can get the full knowledge of either a distant or an internal object in the twinkling of an eye. His mind is like a powerful search-light. Just as the man in the pearl fishery dives deep and brings out the pearl, so also the mind of a raja yogi dives deep into an object and brings out its truth in a moment.

If a magnet is very powerful it will influence iron filings even when they are placed at a long distance. Even so, if the yogi is an advanced person he will have greater influence over the persons with whom he comes in contact. He can exert his influence on persons even when they live in a distant place.

A yogi who meditates regularly has a magnetic and charming personality. Those who come in contact with him are much influenced by his sweet voice, powerful speech, lustrous eyes, brilliant complexion, strong healthy body, good behaviour, virtuous qualities and divine nature. Just as a grain of salt when dropped in a basin of water becomes dissolved in water, just as sweet fragrance of jasmine pervades the air, so also the yogi's spiritual aura infiltrates into the minds of others. People draw joy, peace and strength from him. They are inspired by his speech and get elevation of mind by mere contact with him.

Yoga serves as the only solution to all universal problems. Without the differences of caste, creed and religious formalities, all can live in yoga with the Divine who abides in the heart of all beings.

The flame of yoga must burn brightly in your heart. Hold aloft the light of yoga, and contribute to the promotion of world peace and individual illumination.

Outline of Raja Yoga

Yogas chitta vritti nirodhah*

"Yoga is the suppression of the modifications of the mind-stuff." (I-2)

*The precepts of raja yoga were compiled by Patanjali in the form of 'sutras' or terse verses. A sutra is an aphoristic saying which is pregnant with deep hidden significance. Some of these sutras (with commentary) are included in the following chapters.

'Chitta' means 'mind-stuff or subconscious mind. 'Vritti' means literally a 'whirlpool'. It is a thought-wave in the lake of chitta. Even so the mind gets modified into a vritti by actually assuming the form of the object it perceives. Knowledge of objects or perception is a kind of transformation of the mind.

Now comes the word 'nirodhah', which means restraint or suppression. 'By suppressing the modifications of the mind-stuff or restraining the thought-waves, a man obtains yoga'. Patanjali Maharishi has given the whole of raja yoga in this one sutra. Different methods of sadhana are intended to achieve the highest stage of yoga, asamprajnata samadhi, by the suppression of thought-waves. The yogi tries to stop all the vrittis. He tries to make the mind blank. He tries to stop thinking. He practises thoughtlessness. He stops the mind from assuming various forms. This is called 'chitta vritti nirodhah'. This is the path of raja yoga. Suppression of thought-waves is easily said, but it is very difficult indeed to practice.

"Then, the seer rests in his own nature." (I-3)

When the lake is in a boisterous state on account of turbulent waves you can hardly see the bottom of the lake.
When the waves subside you can clearly see the bottom of the lake. Even so when the mind is in an agitated condition on account of various vrittis, you can hardly rest in your own nature. You cannot see or realise your own Self. But when the vrittis subside you can rest in your own state. You do not identify yourself with the vrittis now.

Yoga is a complete suppression of the tendency of the mind to transform itself into objects, thoughts, etc. It demands continuous and steady practice. Then comes unlimited strength, peace, bliss and knowledge.

"To a man of discrimination, everything here is misery only." (II-15)

Raja yoga is the royal road to freedom from misery. It treats of the four great principles: misery, its cause, freedom from misery and the means. The practice of the methods prescribed in raja yoga leads to the cessation of all miseries and the attainment of eternal bliss.

Patanjali's raja yoga sutras are divided into four chapters. The first is samadhi pada. Then comes sadhana pada which describes the various practices of raja yoga. Then comes the vibhuti pada — by concentration you get various psychic powers which are described in this. The fourth is the kaivalya pada, which describes how you attain immortality and become one with the Supreme.

The path of raja yoga is based on careful observation, correct interpretation and practical application. It is an exact science.

"There are eight limbs in raja yoga: yama (ethics), niyama (moral disciplines), asana (postures), pranayama (control of breath), pratyahara (sense withdrawal), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi." (II-28, 29)

Where hatha yoga ends, there raja yoga begins. Hatha yoga starts with asana and pranayama, control of the physical body and purification or regulation of breath. Raja yoga begins with control of the mind and ends in asamprajnata samadhi.

The eight limbs of raja yoga should be practised in the order given. You will not be benefited if you take to the practice of asana and pranayama without practising yama and niyama. If you want to take up a M.Sc. course you will have to start from the infant standard, pass through the different stages of first standard, second standard and so on, and then enter the college course. Even so you will have to go stage by stage, step by step, in the yoga courses also.

All methods of yoga have ethical training and moral perfection as their basis. The eradication of vices and the development of certain virtues form the first step in the ladder of yoga. Discipline of your nature and the formation of a steady and pure character through a set of right habits and daily observances is the next step.
These are yama and niyama in raja yoga. The acquiring of the four means of liberation by the neophyte on the path of knowledge, the insistence upon self-consecration for the devotee and desirelessness and sacrifice for the karma yogi have as their aim the development of character and ethical perfection. Thus the ringing in of a new world-order of love and sacrifice, of co-operation and brotherhood and the realisation of the ideals of universal perfection can be effected by a willing unreserved allegiance to even the initial stages of yoga. Upon this firm foundation of a well-established and virtuous character is built the further structure of raja yoga.

The inherent restlessness of the mind constitutes the greatest problem to the follower of yoga. By its very nature the mind is ever outgoing. Also it is always unsteady. The resolute turning away from earthly attachment, the determined effacement of the ego, deliberate stoppage of all inharmonious processes and the constant dwelling upon a single idea require a firm control of the mind and the conscious direction of its powers towards the desired end.

The greatest external manifestation of the mental impulses is physical action. Actions when repeated crystallise into habits. In course of time habits, through indulgence, get incorporated as definite traits in the individual's personality. The plan of yoga science in obtaining mastery over the mind proceeds step by step, systematically, regulating and controlling first the grosser and then the subtler manifestations.

The inherent urge to activity is checked through asanas. By the practice of a system of steady postures the tendency to aimless and unrestrained movements is overcome. Character is developed, ennobling traits acquired, old habits overcome and replaced by new ones, activity checked and regulated; then the vagaries of the mind are restrained by a control of its counterpart, namely the breath. This stage is pranayama.

Though thoughts are checked, the mind yet continues to agitate in the form of desires and cravings. Thus the fifth limb of yoga is the withdrawal of all centripetal senseward movements of the desire-element in the mind, turning away from the external world and withdrawing the senses from the objects. Pratyahara paves the way for the sixth rung in the yogic ladder — dharana or contraction of the mind at a single point. The indrawn mind is made to fix upon any given idea or image, technically referred to as lakshya or object of meditation. Concentration deepened and lengthened becomes meditation (dhyana). When meditation is intensified and made continuous, samadhi results. A state of blissful union with the infinite spirit gives freedom from the thraldom of birth and death.

This transcendental experience transforms one into a being endowed with cosmic vision, beholding everywhere a divine unity behind apparent diversity. Henceforth the entire life becomes a spontaneous expression of the unhindered flow of supreme energy through every act. One lives and acts purely for the welfare of humanity, carrying on the divine plan to its glorious consummation.

Practice 

Study carefully the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Engage yourself in the service of the poor and the sick. Do simple pranayama for two years as described in this book. Control the senses. Destroy all vain desires and material ambitions. When desires crop up do not try to fulfil them. This is a great secret.

Destroy all thoughts, desires, fancies, whims, caprices, appetites, moods, wrong samskaras, superstitions and impulses. Be under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher. Watch the mind and its impressions very carefully all the twenty-four hours. Sit in your asana. Pray. Do mental worship.

Practise non-attachment. Make the mind blank. Do not allow any thoughts to crop up. Drive them away immediately. Do not think of anything. When there is no thought there is no desire. Desire is the product of past evil actions produced by contact and is the outcome of thoughts when they associate with objects. When thoughts cease to exist, desire will also cease. Thoughts and desires co-exist. By constant intense and protracted practise you are bound to succeed in controlling all thoughts. You will attain the state of highest knowledge and bliss.

You can definitely become a raja yogi within two or three years if you do earnest, intense sadhana with zeal, interest and enthusiasm. I solemnly make this bold assertion.

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