The Tale of Yoga - Long history, Multiple Definitions, Present Form.
The concept of celebrating International Yoga Day was the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, back in September 27, 2014, first presented the idea at The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) during his address.
How can we define Yoga? There is no single definition of yoga. In order to experience truth through yoga, we must study its classical definitions and reflect on our own understanding of it. So on that very note, we here in our today's blog will explore the whole gist behind this term "Yoga" in its fullest expanse. Friends we will do this by understanding the methods and aim of Yoga through various ancient classical texts and authorised personalities related to Indian yogic culture.
Maharishi Patanjali's Yoga Sutras are believed to be the most ancient texts on Yoga. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali is a collection of around 195 Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga. There he defines Yoga as,
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥
Breaking down this long word we get -
योग: चित्त वृत्ति निरोधः ॥
This means that Yoga is quieting the fluctuations of the mind. Now what is this all about?
The one central aim of Yoga is to bring permanent peace and satisfaction. Yoga assures stability of mind, health of body. Yoga says that all the imbalances of one's life can be traced back to one single cause - we are messed up physically, or in a more deeper level, mentally. Therefore, taking perfect control over our "controllable faculties" to avoid miseries in life is the goal of Yoga.
Yoga, in reality, is our natural state. Ancient Indian texts say that it is this constant humbug of the universe that creates ripples in our mind, makes us weak, attached and slaves of our desires.
If we observe carefully, evolution is just the progression of life forms to attain Yoga. A human is more in control of his body and mind, and therefore is different from an animal. An animal too, if struggles to rise above his beastly and accidental life, can evolve into a more advanced life form.
Going one step further, Yoga says that all the miseries in the world exists only because we are not perfectly in charge of our life.
The Yogis say that nature is the enjoyed; the soul is the enjoyer. All misery and happiness — where is it? In the senses. It is the touch of the senses that causes pleasure and pain, heat and cold. If we can control the senses and order what they shall feel — not let them order us about as they are doing now — if they can obey our commands, become our servants, the problem is solved at once. We are bound by the senses; they play upon us, make fools of us all the time.
Vivekananda, in his usual classical manner, explains the necessity of Yoga as,
"The utility of this science (Yoga) is to bring out the perfect man, and not let him wait and wait for ages, just a plaything in the hands of the physical world, like a log of drift-wood carried from wave to wave and tossing about in the ocean. This science wants you to be strong, to take the work in your own hand, instead of leaving it in the hands of nature, and get beyond this little life. That is the great idea."
Coming back to Patanjali's text, it says that Yoga is completely calming the modifications of mind. In one of my most favorite Bengali song called "Nahi Surjo, Nahi Jyoti" there is a beautiful poetic line referring to this text of Patanjali. It says,
"Ashputo mano aakashe, jagato, shamshaaro bhaase"
meaning that "it is the unclear sky of mind on which the world and universe appears to exist"
Patanjali's system of Yoga is called the "Ashtang Yoga" or the eight limbs of Yoga. It includes Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi. We will not go deep into each limb today. To vaguely summarise them I can say that first 4 limbs are meant to make oneself physically, mentally and morally fit for Yoga. Then the latter 4 limbs consist mainly of internal work of settling down the restless mind-stuff to stop it dissipate its balanced state.
Next comes up the Sankhya Philosophy's standpoint on Yoga.
According to Sankhya, the whole of nature is for the soul, not the soul for nature. The very reason of nature's existence is for the education of the soul; it has no other meaning; it is there because the soul must have knowledge, and through knowledge free itself. If we remember this always, we shall never be attached to nature; we shall know that nature is a book in which we are to read, and that when we have gained the required knowledge, the book is of no more value to us. Instead of that, however, we are identifying ourselves with nature; we are thinking that the soul is for nature, that the spirit is for the flesh, and, as the common saying has it, we think that man "lives to eat" and not "eats to live". We are continually making this mistake; we are regarding nature as ourselves and are becoming attached to it; and as soon as this attachment comes, there is the deep impression on the soul, which binds us down and makes us work not from freedom but like slaves.
The whole gist of this teaching is that you should work like a master and not as a slave; work incessantly, but do not do slave's work.
Now after finally opening the discussion on work, attachment we come to Bhagwad Geeta's explanation of Yoga.
In Geeta we find the broadest defination of Yoga. As to quote a textual reference on Yoga's definition as per Geeta, I was surfing online all the time Krishna talked about Yoga. For God's sake I couldn't find any single monotonous definition of Yoga. Somewhere Krishna defines it as perfection in action, somewhere he defines it as balancing the body-mind, somehwere as unattached life and somewhere as complete surrender to God!
Thus we find that Geeta describes threefold path to reach the state of Yoga, that is, Karma, Gnana, Bhakti. From the life of the highest saints we infer that it is the fusion of all three of these paths, one or the other, or all of them, that lead to the state of Yoga.
Swami Vivekananda, in just one paragraph, connects all three of these paths and points out one common feature : Renunciation (Tyag)
"Vairâgya or renunciation is the turning point in all the various Yogas. The Karmi (worker) renounces the fruits of his work. The Bhakta (devotee) renounces all little loves for the almighty and omnipresent love. The Yogi renounces his experiences, because his philosophy is that the whole Nature, although it is for the experience of the soul, at last brings him to know that he is not in Nature, but eternally separate from Nature. The Jnâni (philosopher) renounces everything, because his philosophy is that Nature never existed, neither in the past, nor present, nor will It in the future."
"You must remember that freedom of the soul is the goal of all Yogas, and each one equally leads to the same result. By work alone men may get to where Buddha got largely by meditation or Christ by prayer. Buddha was a working Jnâni, Christ was a Bhakta, but the same goal was reached by both of them."
Humans are humans as long as they struggle to conquer the nature. But nature is both internal and external. In the West we see the tendency of humans to master our external nature. Therefore we see their the biggest currents of political, social, scientific advancements. Due to dominance in the conquest of external nature, we see their life standard, interests and efforts based around external universe. Here in the East, on the contrary, we see the whole progress is of the internal nature of human. Here we see that the life of people may not be so luxurious, but our whole society, ethics, morals, lifestyle is formed around a religious fabric.
Swami Vivekananda believed that the ideal civilization is that which the combination of both. Each race has a message, has a gift, a contribution to offer to the collective progress of humankind. Each nation must teach as well as study along with other nations.
As of India, it is Yoga that it offers, this beautiful system of mastering the essential faculties of life. Concerning its materialistic progress, I believe it is doing a phenomenol job of learning it from the west, witnessing great technological advancements in the country. At the same time it must not lose its own identity.
Therefore in today's blog I attempted to throw some light on the central message of Yoga, as to counter countless nonsensical interpretations of it on the internet. I hope now we have a clear picture. We look forward to talk more on this art, till then, om tat sat!
Thanks,
Daksh Parekh.
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