Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 – verse-6:-
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प्रमाण विपर्यय विकल्प निद्रा स्पृतय:
॥ ।६।
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The five kinds of thought waves are: Right knowledge, wrong knowledge, verbal
delusion, sleep and memory.
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Monday, June 15, 2015
Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 – verse-6
Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 – verse-7
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-7:-
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प्रत्यक्षानुमानागामा: प्रमाणानि
॥ ।७।
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The right kind of knowledge are: direct perception, inference
and scriptural testimony.
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प्रत्यक्ष -- Direct perception – Senses perceived only
without delusion is right knowledge.
अनुमान
- Inference –
Whatever we infer from perception with only correct reasoning is also righ
knowledge.
आगमा: - The scriptures – Since the scriptures are
based upon the superconcious knowledge obtained by great spiritual Yogis
& Maharishis while in the state of perfect Yoga. They are alos right
knowledge.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 – verse-8,9,10 & 11
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-8:-
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विपर्ययो मिथ्याज्ञानमतद्रूपप्रतिष्ठम् ॥ ।८।
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Wrong knowledge is knowledge which is false and not based upon
the true nature of its object.
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A very common example given in all Vedanta texts is that of
rope mistaken for a snake. Wrong knowledge will cause fear.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-9:-
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शब्दज्ञानानुपाती वस्तुशून्यो विकल्प: ॥ ।९।
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Verbal delusion arises when words no not correspond to
reality.
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Verbal delusion is nothing but hearing something and forming a
hasty and inaccurate picture and jumping to conclusion.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-10:-
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अभाव प्रत्ययालम्बना वृत्तिर्निद्रा ॥ ।१०।
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Sleep is a wave of thought about nothingness.
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Sleep is not to be confused with the waveless state of
Yoga. Sleep is nothing but a positive
experience of nothingness. Dreamless sleep is not an absence of thought waves
in mind.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-11:-
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अनुभूतविषयासम्प्रमोष: स्मृति: ॥ ।११।
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Memory is when perceived objects are not forgotten, but come
back to conciousness.
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Memory is some sort of a secondary thought wave. Unwanted
negative thought waves from memory can be quite dangerous when unchecked and
may even lead to depression, anxiety and even mental disorders.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 – verse-12,13,14 & 15
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-12:-
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अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोध: ॥ ।१२।
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वृत्तय: Thought waves –
they are controlled by means of practice and non-attachment.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-13:-
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तत्र स्थितौ यत्नौऽभ्यास: ॥ ।१३।
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Practice is the repeated effort to follow the discipline which
give permanent control of the thought-waves of the mind.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-14:-
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स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमि:
॥ ।१४।
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Practice becomes firmly grounded when it has been cultivated
for a long time, uninterrruptedly, with earnest devotion.
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-15:-
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दृष्टानुश्रविकविषयवितृष्णस्य वशीकारसंज्ञा
वैराग्यम् ॥ ।१५।
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Non-attachment is self-mastery; it is freedom from desire for
what is seen and heard.
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The waves of the mind can be made to flow in two opposite directions
– either towards the objective world (desire) or towards true self-knowledge
(towards liberation). Therefore both
practice and non-attachment are necessary. Indeed, it is useless and even more
dangerous to attempt one without the other.
If we try to practice spiritual discipline without attempting to control
the thought waves of desire, our minds will become violently agitated and
perhaps permanently unbalanced. If we attemp nothing more than a rigid negative
control of the waves of desire, without raising waves of love, compassion and
devotion to oppose them, then the result may be even more tragic. This is why certain strict puritans suddenly
and msysteriously commit suicide. They make a cold, stern effort to be ‘good’,
that is not to think ‘bad’ thoughts. And when they fail, they cannot face this
humiliation, which is nothing but hurt pride and the emptiness inside
themselves.
Non-attachment is the exercise of discrimination. We gradually
gain control of the ‘painful’ or impure thought waves by asking ourselves: “why
do I really desire that object? What permanent
advantage sould I gain by possessing it? In what way would its possession help
me towards greater knowledge and freedom?”.
The answer to these questions are always disconcerting. They show us
that the desired object is not only useless as a means to liberation but
potentially harmful as a means to ignorance and bondage: our desire is not really desire for the
object-in-itself at all, but only a desire to desire something, a mere restlessness
in the mind.
It is fairly easy to reason all this out in a calm moment. But our non-attachment is put to the test
when the mind is suddenly swept by a huge wave of anger or lust or greed. Then it is only by a determined effort of
will that we can remember what our reason already knows………… that this wave, and
the sense-object which raised it, and the ego-sense which identifies the
experience with itself, are all alike transient and superficial – that they are
not the underlying Reality.
Pathanjali Yoga Sutra - Ch-1 - V-16
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Patanjali Yoga Sutra – Chapter-1 –
verse-16:-
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तत्परं पुरुषख्यातेर्गुणवैतृष्ण्यम् ॥
।१६।
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When, through knowledge of that Supreme, one ceases to desire
any manifestation of Nature, then that is the highest kind of
non-attachment.
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In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna explains the state of that Yogi
who has attained this kind of highest non-attachment.
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Chapter -2– Saankhya yogam- Verse-70
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आपूर्यमणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमाप: प्रविशन्ति
यद्वत् ।
तद्वत्कामा
यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी ॥ ।७०।
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Though all kinds of
enjoyable sense objects approaches a sage who has achieved peace, remains
unaffected. Like the ocean always being filled by approaching rivers and not
that person desirous of sense enjoyments.
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Following is the
explanation of this Bhagavad Gita sloka by Shri.Ramanujacharya in his
Shri.Bhaasyam.
The ocean is full unto itself and always maintains the same
form even though countless rivers enter into it. Whether the rivers enter or do not enter, the
ocean is unaffected and undergoes no difference. Similarly when the senses of
one in transcendent meditation come in contact with sense objects such as sound
and is apprehended by the ears, such a one still remains peaceful and
maintains an equipoise state of consciousness. In other words the sublime satisfaction
derived from direct soul cognition precludes any disturbance from the senses
or agitated towards sense delights. Whether
sense objects are experienced by the sense or not experienced by them, one in
transcendental meditation will not be affected and will not be subject to any
difference. But Lord Krishna is saying that this state can never be attained by
one who is full of lascivious desires or is controlled by the same, for such
a being can never achieve peace.
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Pathanjali Yoga Sutra - Ch-1 - V-17
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In order to understand Pathanjali’s Yoga Sutra further, we
must study the structure of the universe as it is presented in Vedanta
philosophy.
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First let us consider the basic Reality. The reality
considered as the innermost self of any particular creature is called Atman. When the Reality is spoken of in its
universal aspect, it is called Brahman or Paramatma.
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Here we have to keep in mind the 3 schools of Philosophy
namely Advaita, Vishishta Advaita and Dvaita.
According to Advaita, Brahman and Atman are one. But according to Dvaita and Vishishta
Advaita, Brahman and Atman are not one and the same. However the ultimate goal of Atman in all 3
philosophy is to reach that Brahman. Pathanjali believed in Sankya Philosophy
and hence according to him, Atman and Brahman are not one and the same. But however, the ultimate Goal of
Pathanjali’s Yoga is to make our Atman to reach the Brahman.
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What is
Cosmos? What is it made of? Vedanta teaches that the cosmos is made of
Prakriti, the elemental stuff of mind and matter. The Brahman puts forth itself and causes
the Prakriti. Why does Brahman cause Prakriti? This question cannot be
answered by man-made philosophy. A
great seer may experience the nature of Brahman-Prakriti relationship while
he is in the state of perfect Yoga.
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In Hindu philosophy creation and dissolution is an endlessly
repeated process. From time to time the Universe dissolves itself into
Brahman and the remains in the potential “seed state” for certain time. Then
re-creation starts.
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Now let us see the process of creation - Prakriti is said to
be composed Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas generally known as Tri-gunas. As long as the Gunas maintain equilibrium,
Prakriti remains in its potential state and is in the “seed state” of Brahman
or known as “Nirguna Brahman”. As soon
as the balance is disturbed, a re-creation of the Universe begins. The gunas enter into an enormous variety of
combinations, mostly irregular with one of the gunas predominating. Hence we have the variety of physical and
psychic phenomena which make up our apparent worlds. Hence the gunas provide
the motive power for the creative process.
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The Brahman puts forth itself as ‘Mahat’ the cosmic ego-sense,
known as “Sarguna Brahman”. From Mahat
evolves ‘Buddhi’. From buddhi evolves
‘Ahamkara’ the individual ego-sense.
From ahamkara evolves manas, pancha-indriyas, the pancha tanmatras and
its organs. By further combination and re-combination the pancha-bhootas,
earth, water, fire, air and ether are evolved.
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It is necessary to keep this idea of evolution clearly in mind
if we are to understand Patanjali’s technique of meditation. For meditation
is evolution in reverse. Meditation is
a process of devolution. Beginning at
the surface of life, the meditative mind goes inward, seeking always the
cause behind the appearance, and then the cause behind the cause, until the
innermost Reality is reached.
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In the preliminary stages concentration upon a single object
is a must. Let us see Patanjali’s four
stages of “concentration upon a single object”. When practiced intensely it can take the
mind to the ultimate borders of Brahman the Ultimate Supreme God.
1.
When the mind becomes perfectly concentrated upon on
of the gross elements then it is ‘Examination’.
2.
when the mind pierces the outer material layer and
fastens upon the tanmatra, the subtle essence within, then it is
‘discrimination’.
3.
when we concentrate upon the inner powers of perception or the mind
itself then it is ‘joyful peace’.
4.
when we concentrate upon the ego-sense in its simplest
and most elemental form, without any fear or desire, knowing that “I” am
different from “this” and “that”, then it is “simple awareness of
Individuality”.
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Pathanjali Yoga Sutra - Ch-1 - V-18
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When the spiritual aspirant has achieved the highest degree of
concentration upon a single object, he is ready to attempt the supreme feat. That
is concentration upon consciousness itself.
This is the state of perfect yoga, in which one passes beyond
Prakriti, beyond all object knowledge, into union with the Atman. This state of perfect Yoga can only be attained
when the thought waves have been stilled and the mind has been cleared of all
its Samskaras, both evil and good. When
Patanjali has ceased to believe that he is Patanjali and knows that he is
none other than Atman. Yoga philosophy
teaches us that it is the Samskaras that drive us from birth to birth. Our desire to return and plunge once more
into sense-experience is far deeper than we realize. Before the state of perfect Yoga, Samskaras
have to be rooted out and destroyed. When
the Samskaras have been destroyed, there will no longer be any urge towards
rebirth. He who achieves Yoga is said
to be “Liberated”. When his present
life ends he will be United with Paramatman for ever.
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