What
is Yoga? The common meaning of the word Yoga is ‘to join’. This word is
derived from the Sanskrit element ‘Yuj’. One would normally believe
‘hanging with head down is Yoga’ but this is not correct. A bat remains hung
with head down every day through out his life but we do not say a bat is a Yogi.
It is equally incorrect to say that one who walks on live charcoal or on water
surface is a Yogi. Shree Ramkrishna Dev used to cut a joke about a Yogi who had
met him and described that he had conducted Sadhana for twelve years, as a
result he had come to Daxineshwar by walking on the surface of the water of
Ganges. On hearing this Shree Ramkrishna Dev beat his forehead and said, ‘Oh!
Just by paying one paise we can cross Ganges and come back. If we pay two paise
(pennies) to a boatman he will take us for half an hour on a joy ride. The work which can
be done in one or two paise (pennies) is achieved by you by wasting twelve years!’
Thus
Yoga does not mean remaining hungry or eating too much or remaining wide awake
for nights together or to sleep long hours or to remain totally silent
continuously or go on speaking without respite. Such imbalance cannot be termed
Yoga. Geeta indicates word ‘balanced’ for Yoga. ‘Yuktahara viharascha’, Yoga
means “maintaining balance” in eating, walking etc. That is why it is said
that Yoga means balance in life style. ‘Samatvam yoga uchyate.’
In addition to this
Shree Krishna has given very beautiful and exact definition of Yoga: ‘Yogah
karmasu kaushalam’. That means Yoga is one where work is done with
dexterity. What is this dexterity in Karma? It means whatever you do, the job
should be exact, it should not be soft-padded or like a loosely filled bag:
whatever you do, do it well, properly organized.
That
is why Shree Ramkrishna Dev used to say that a lady who could cook very nicely
can also meditate very nicely The reason is that cooking performed inattentively
will not be tasty. Today you forget to put in salt, tomorrow you put salt twice.
It is observed that those who are inattentive persons allow milk to overflow
through over heating perhaps twice a week; what could be the reason? ‘Oh, I
was not attentive !‘ When mind is alert and stays where the body
is, the condition is termed Yoga. But unluckily, while our body is in Chicago,
our mind goes to Manchester. If you want to put a thread through the eye of a
sewing needle, the thread will not be put through if the end of the thread is
bent, left or right. The end will have to be made one pointed. Karma whether it
is individual or family job or society job or a public work, one has to be fully
alert in performance of job on hand, then only the word Yoga will have carried
its proper meaning: That is dexterity.
The
above is the generally common understanding. Maharsi Patanjali defines Yoga as
control of the leanings of the mind. ‘Yogaschitta
vrittinirodhah.’ This
is the highest aspect of Yoga as mind is fickle. ‘Oh Ram; Mind roams about in
all directions. How it can be fixed in one place? So far as this mind remains
fickle, restless, disturbed, Jiva will not be at ease.
The meaning of the
word Yoga carries happiness in it. Condition of ‘Viyoga’ is unhappiness. Yoga means peace, plenty, prosperity,
development, progress and establishment in permanent soul-consciousness. All
those that are to contrary, means restlessness, down-fall and self-deception
towards soul. Gurudev Swami Shri Sivananda used to say that the goal of human
life is realization of the absolute. God first, world next and self last or preferably, never.
The name given to this path to realization of God is Yoga.
Principal
Yogas are Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Dhyana Yoga. Besides there are
Nad Yoga, Laya Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Swara Yoga and others. If one desires to
satisfactorily carry out any job, it is essential to have a healthy body Hatha
yoga can bestow health. Raja Yoga leads to highest state in the absolute.
WHAT
IS THE PURPOSE OF YOGA?
In
Raghuvansh, poet Kalidas says ‘Sarir
madh yam khalu dharmasadhanam’. That
means for acquisition of Dharma or performance of duty, first and foremost
importance is given to body Shruti completes the previous saying. Shruti says
that ‘dharma,
art ha, kama, moxanam, arog yam mooluttamam’ That means to attain the ultimate goal of
human life which is to attain Almighty, health is essential.
If
we say that body is the first and foremost instrument to obtain the absolute or
even to carry out jobs either small or big in life easily and naturally, it is
not enough. Body must have no disease. One should have sound health, satisfied
mind, steady intellect and there should be desire in the subconscious mind to
carry out job on hand perfectly All these are essential. A good student, a
householder, an engineer, a doctor, a pleader or an advocate, an artist or a
social worker can go up different steps in life and attain different goals
beautifully, if he possesses disease-less body and sound mind. For proper and
sound health, body and mind, Yoga is essential. Mind is the only cause for
happiness or unhappiness in human life. Eyes can observe outside world, but mind
can only be observed by mind itself. That is why entry in subtle life from the
gross life makes it essential to practise Yoga.
Performance of any
job calls for deeply quiet attitude of mind, besides having concentration and
soundness of mind. All this becomes possible by means of Yoga. If one regularly
performs a few Yogasanas, Pranayamas and Dhyana at fixed hours, then such a Sadhana carried
out in conjunction with Yama and Niyama will prepare a man in individual
discipline, bodily discipline, vital discipline and discipline of senses. With
the control of the senses one can attain the unfathomable element which is
beyond mind and intellect.
The
life we live is not well defined. How can one imagine a life without conflicts?
That is why it has been said in Mantras of marriage ceremony: “Be careful, not
to get pricked while plucking a rose. Paths in life are very hard and we only
find difficulties there on. There is no charted path in this desert of mundane
world, unknown waves arise, tornadoes strike. In such conditions, Oh Shiva, I
pray arrange everything well organized”.
In life all times are
not alike. Untrained body or mind can get deranged at any moment. Lack of
capacity of forbearance and understanding can blow away goodness of human life,
juice of life gets dried out. All days cannot be alike. ‘At one time Raja
Harischandra travels in Viman (an aeroplane). Same king Harischandra gets to crematory, when on another occasion he gets sold out.’ However, in such
conditions only Yaugic life can provide soundness and tidiness along the roadway
What is the reason for creation of separating walls of egoism and mineness
between a husband and a ‘wife, mother and father and children? It points out
to paucity of awareness in us. In modern times either in the west or in the
east, the entire society has mental tension as its burning problem. Practice of
Yoga develops one bodily, mentally and enhances powers of subtle body also. This
Yoga can, in short, fulfill all the requirements of self-control, such as
general daily life’s essentials like hunger, having no constipation, getting
good sleep, not getting easily disturbed and not getting over emotional. Yoga
does fundamental work of maintaining humanness in a human being. If a human
being has turned brutal it needs to help in pacifying
the Tamasic attitude in a human being. Yoga converts Rajasik attitude to Sattvik
attitude.
Majority
of the people carry on with the understanding and belief that we are all engaged
in mundane work, so why should we get involved in Yoga? But really this is not
the case. We use vacuum cleaner in standing position, clothes are washed in
washing machines while standing, dish washer cleans crockery while we stand,
there is standing kitchen, even toilets are having western style seats. So where
do you have the occasion to sit with folded knees? Yes, if we go to attend a
death gathering, we may have to sit with folded feet. But these days chairs are
provided there too! We have hardly any exercise for knees. Again overseas
countries mainly consume bread and rice. These varieties also include pasta,
pizza and coke providing threefold binding for a Jiva in cholesterol, high
triglycerides and high blood pressure. In this age of high society, high tech,
your complaint will also be high. No surprise!
The
working of the body is classified in six parts:
1.
Respiratory system
2.
Circulatory system
3.
Alimentary system
4.
Genito-urinary system
5. Locomotor
system
6.
Nervous system
Yogasana and
Pranayama practice cast deep impression on all these systems. By the practice of
Yogasana and Pranayama equanimity of mind is established in all difficult
situations like need for control over emotions, control of anger, instability of
mind, putting a stop on emotionalism, mental soundness, capacity to fight
diseases etc. But the essential requirement is that, practice should be
continuous and regular. With Yogasana, Pranayama and daily meditation common
mass of people can avoid many problems of life. Shri Krishna indicates in the
Geeta that this subject as above carries no shortcomings. If with sincerity some
little practice is continued, it can give enough capacity to fight so many
future problems.
Having
considered what Yoga is and why one should practise Yoga, we will now go deep to
discuss this subject.
OM SHANTIH!
Latest Additions.........
Sivananda Yoga (Yoga DVD) Diwali Prasad booklet - "Kanakdhara Stotram" ( Sanskrit/ Gujarati/ English) Divya Jivan (Gujarati)/ Aug-Sept 2018 / August -September 2017 (Special Issue) Atam Mahek (Gujarati) / Fragrance ( English) - Swami Adhyatmananda |
Yoga, A Way of Life - Sri Swami Adhyatmananda
"Yoga and Health" - a complete book with Question & Answer section by Sri Swami Adhyatmananda
Books on Yoga by Swami Adhyatmananda
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