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Written by Swami Vivekananda |
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1. The Siddhis (powers) are attained by birth,
chemical means, power of words,
mortification or concentration.
Sometimes a man is born with the Siddhis, powers, of course
from the exercise of powers he had in his previous birth. In
this birth he is born, as it were, to enjoy the fruits of them. It
is said of Kapila, the great father of the Sankhya Philosophy,
that he was a born Siddha, which means, literally, a man
who has attained to success.
The Yogis claim that these powers can be gained by
chemical means. All of you know that chemistry originally
began as alchemy; men went in search of the philsopher’s
stone, and elixirs of life, and so forth. In Inidia there was a
sect called the Rasayanas. Their idea was that ideality,
knowledge, spirituality and religion, were all very right, but
that the body was the only instrument by which to attain to
all these. If the body broke now and then it would take so
much more time to attain to the goal. For instance, a man
wants to practice Yoga, or wants to become spiritual. Before
he has advanced very far he dies. Then he takes another
body and begins again, then dies, and so on, and in this way
much time will be lost in dying and in being born again. If
the body could be made strong and perfect, so that it would
get rid of birth and death, we should have so much more
time to become spiritual. So these Rasayanas say, first make
the body very strong, and they claim that this body can be
made immortal. The idea is that if the mind is
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manufacturing the body, and if it be true that each mind is
only one particular outlet to that infinite energy, and that
there is no limit to each particular outlet getting any amount
of power from outside, why is it impossible that we should
keep our bodies all the time? We shall have to manufacture
all the bodies that we shall ever have. As soon as this body
dies we shall have to manufacture another. If we can do that
why cannot we do it just here and no, without getting out?
The theory is perfectly correct. If it is possible that we live
after death, and make other bodies, why is it impossible that
we should have the power of making bodies here, without
entirely dissolving this body, simply changing it continually?
They also thought that in mercury and in sulphur was hidden
the most wonderful power, and that by certain preparations
of these a man could keep the body as long as he liked.
Others believed that certain drugs could bring powers, such
as flying through the air, etc. Many of the most wonderful
medicines of the present day we owe to the Rasayamas,
notably the use of metals in medicine. Certain sects of Yogis
claim that many of their principal teachers are still living in
their old bodies. Patanjali, the great authority on Yoga, does
not deny this.
The power of words. There are certain sacred words
called Mantrams, which have power, when repeated under
proper conditions, to produce these extraordinary powers. We
are living in the midst of such a mass of miracles, day and
night, that we do not think anything of them. There is no limit
to man’s power, the power of words and the power of mind.
Mortification. You will find that in every religion
mortifications and asceticisms have been practised. In these
religious conceptions the Hindus always go to the extremes.
You will find men standing with their hands up all their
lives, until their hands wither and die. Men sleep standing,
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day and night, until their feet swell, and, if they live, the legs
become so stiff in this position that they can no more bend
them, but have to stand all their lives. I once saw a man who
had raised his hands in this way, and I asked him how it felt
when he did it first. He said it was awful torture. It was
such torture that he had to go to a river and put himself in
water, and that allayed the pain for a little. After a month he
did not suffer much. Through such practices powers (Siddhis)
can be attained.
Concentration. The concentration is Samadhi, and that is
Yoga proper; that is the principle theme of this science, and
it is the highest means. The preceding ones are only
secondary, and we cannot attain to the highest through them.
Samadhi is the means through which we can gain anything
and everything, mental, moral or spiritual.
2. The change into another species is by the
filling in of nature.
Patanjali has advanced the proposition that these powers
come by first, sometimes by chemical means, or they may be
got by mortification and he has admitted that this body can
be kept for any length of time. Now he goes on to state what
is the cause of the change of the body into another species,
which he says is by the filling in of nature. In the next
aphorism he will explain this.
3. Good deeds, etc., are not the direct causes in
the transformation of nature, but they act as
breakers of obstacles to the evolutions of
nature, as a farmer breaks the obstacles to
the course of water, which then runs down
by its own nature.
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When a farmer is irrigating his field the water is already in
the canals, only there are gates which keep the water in. The
farmer opens these gates, and the water flows in by itself, by
the law of gravitation. So, all human progress and power are
already in everything; this perfection is every man’s nature,
only it is barred in and prevented from taking its proper
course. If anyone can take the bar off in rushes nature. Then
the man attains the powers which are his already. Those we
called wicked become saints, as soon as the bar is broken
and nature rushes in. It is nature that is driving us towards
perfection, and eventually she will bring everyone there. All
these practices and struggles to become religious are only
negative work to take off the bars, and open the doors to that
perfection which is our birthright, our nature.
To-day the evolution theories of the Yogis will be better
understood in the light of modern research. And yet the
theory of the Yogis is a better explanation. The two causes
of evolution advanced by the moderns, viz., sexual selection
and survival of the fittest, are inadequate. Suppose human
knowledge to have advanced to much as to eliminate
competition, both from the function of acquiring physical
sustenance and of acquiring a mate. Then, according to the
moderns, human progress will stop and the race will die.
And the result of this theory is to furnish every oppressor
with an argument to calm the qualms of conscience, and men
are not lacking, who, posing as philosophers, want to kill out
all wicked and incompetent persons (they are, of course, the
only judges of competency), and thus preserve the human
race! But the great ancient evolutionist, Patanjali, declares
that the true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the
perfection which is already in every being; that this
perfection has been barred, and the infinite tide behind it is
struggling to express itself. These struggles and competRAJA
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itions are but the results of our ignorance, because we do not
know the proper way to unlock the gate and let the water in.
This infinite tide behind must express itself, and it is the
cause of all manifestation, not competition for life, or sex
gratification, which are only momentary, unnecessary,
extraneous effects, caused by ignorance. Even when all
competition has ceased this perfect nature behind will make
us go forward until every one has become perfect. Therefore
there is no reason to believe that competition is necessary to
progress. In the animal the man was suppressed, but, as
soon as the door was opened, out rushed man. So, in man
there is the potential god, kept in by the locks and bars of
ignorance. When knowledge breaks these bars the god
becomes manifest.
4. From egoism alone proceed the created
minds.
The theory of Karma is that we suffer for our good or bad
deeds, and the whole scope of philosophy is to approach the
glory of man. All the Scriptures sing the glory of man, of
the soul, and then, with the same breath, they preach this
Karma. A good deed brings such a result, and a bad deed
such a result, but, if the soul can be acted upon by a good or
a bad deed it amounts to nothing. Bad deeds put a bart to the
manifestation of our nature, of the Purusa, and good deeds
take the obstacles off, and its glory becomes manifest. But
the Purusa itself is never changed. Whatever you do never
destroys your own glory, your own nature, because the soul
cannot be acted upon by anything, only a veil is spread
before it, hiding its perfection.
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5. Though the activities of the different
created minds are various, the one original
mind is the controller of them all.
These different minds, which will act in these different
bodies, are called made-minds, and the bodies made-bodies;
that is, manufactured bodies and minds. Matter and mind
are like two inexhaustible storehouses. When you have
become a Yogi you have learned the secret of their control.
It was yours all the time, but you had forgotten it. When you
become a Yogi you recollect it. Then you can do anything
with it, manipulate it any way you like. The material out of
which that manufactured mind is created is the very same
material which is used as the macrocosm. It is not that mind
is one thing and matter another, but they are different
existences of the same thing. Asmita, egoism, is the
material, the fine state of existence out of which these mademinds
and made-bodies of the Yogi will be manufactured.
Therefore, when the Yogi has found the secret of these
energies of nautre he can manufacture any number of bodies,
or minds, but they will all be manufactures out of the
substance known as egoism.
6. Among the various Chittas that which is
attained by Samadhi is desireless.
Among all the various minds that we see in various men,
only that mind which has attained to Samadhi, perfect
concentration, is the highest. A man who has attained
certain powers through medicines, or through words, or
through mortifications, still has desires, but that man who
has attained to Samadhi through concentration is alone free
from all desires.
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7. Works are neither black nor white for the
Yogis; for others they are threefold, black,
white, and mixed.
When the Yogi has attained to that state of perfection, the
actions of that man, and the Karma produced by those
actions, will not bind him, because he did not desire them.
He just works on: he works to do good, and he does good,
but does not care for the result, and it will not come to him.
But for ordinary men, who have not attained to that highest
state, works are of three kind, black (evil actions), white
(good actions), and mixed.
8. From these threefold works are manifested
in each state only those desires (which are)
fitting to that state alone. (The others are
held in abeyance for the time being.)
Suppose I have made the three kinds of Karma, good, bad,
and mixed; and suppose I die and become a god in heaven;
the desires in a god body are not the same as the desires in a
human body. The god body neither eats nor drinks; what
becomes of my past unworked Karmas, which produce as
their effect the desire to eat and drink? Where would these
Karmas go when I became a god? The answer is that desires
can only manifest themselves in proper environments. Only
those desires will come out for which the environment is
fitted; the rest will remain stored up. In this life we have
many godly desires, many human desires, many animal
desires. If I take a god body, only the god desires will come
up, because for them the environments are suitable. And if I
take an animal body, only the animal desires will come up,
and the god desires will wait. What does that show? That
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by means of environment we can check these desires. Only
that Karma which is suited to and fitted for the environments
will come out. These proves that the power of environment
is the great check to control even Karma itself.
9. There is connectiveness in desire, even
though separated by speices, space and
time, there being identifi-cation of memory
and impressions.
Experiences becoming fine become impressions;
impressions revivified become memory. The word memory
here includes unconscious co-ordination of past experience,
reduced to impressions, with present conscious action. In
each body the group of impressions acquired in a similar
body only will become the cause of action in that body. The
experiences of dissimilar bodies will be held in abeyance.
Each body will act as if it were a descendant of a series of
bodies of that species only; thus, consecutiveness of desires
will not be broken.
10. Thirst for happiness being eternal desires
are without beginning.
All experience is preceded by desire for becoming happy.
There was no beginning of experience, as each fresh
experience is built upon the tendency generated by past
experience; therefore desire is without beginning.
11. Being held together by cause, effect,
support, and objects, in the absence of these
is its absence.
These desires are held together by cause and effect; if a
desire has been raised it does not die without producing its
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effect. Then again, the mind-stuff is the great storehouse,
the support of all past desires, reduced to Samskara form;
until they have worked themselves out they will not die.
Moreover, so long as the senses receive the external objects
fresh desires will arise. If it be possible to get rid of these,
then alone desires will vanish.
12. The past and future exist in their own
nature, qualities having different ways.
13. They are manifested or fine, being of the
nature of the Gunas.
The Gunas are the three substances, Sattva, Rajas, and
Tamas, whose gross state is the sensible universe. Past and
future arise from the different modes of manifestation of
these Gunas.
14. The unity in things is from the unity in
changes. Though there are three substances
their changes being co-ordinated all objects
have their unity.
15. The object being the same, perception and
desire vary according to the various minds.
16. Things are known or unknown to the mind,
being de-pendent on the colouring which
they give to the mind.
17. The states of the mind are always known
because the lord of the mind is
unchangeable.
The whole gist of this theory is that the universe is both
mental and material. And both the mental and material
worlds are in a continuous state of flux. What is this book?
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It is a combination of molecules in constant change. One lot
is going out, and another coming in; it is a whirlpool, but
what makes the unity? What makes it the same book? The
changes are rhythmical; in harmonious order they are
sending impressions to my mind, and these pieced together
make a continuous picture, although they parts are
continuously changing. Mind itself is continuously
changing. The mind and body are like two layers in the
same substance, moving at different rates of speed.
Relatively, one being slower and the other quicker, we can
distinguish between the two motions. For instance, a train is
moving, and another carriage is moving slowly alongside it.
It is possible to find the motion of both these, to a certain
extent. But still something else is necessary. Motion can
only be perceived when there is something else which is not
moving. But when two or three things are relatively moving,
we first perceive the motion of the faster one, and then that
of the slower ones. How is the mind to perceive? It is also
in a flux. Therefore another thing is necessary which moves
more slowly, then you must get to something in which the
motion is still slower, and so on, and you will find no end.
Therefore logic compels you to stop somewhere. You must
complete the series by knowing something which never
changes. Behind this never ending chain of motion is the
Purusa, the changeless, the colourless, the pure. All these
impressions are merely reflected upon it, as rays of light
from a camera are reflected upon a white sheet, painting
hundreds of pictures on it, without in any way tarnishing the
sheet.
18. Mind is not self-luminous, being an object.
Tremendous power is manifested everywhere in nature, but
yet something tells us that it is not self-luminous, not
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essentially intelligent. The Purusa alone is self-luminous,
and gives its light to everything. It is its power that is
percolating through all matter and force.
19. From its being unable to cognise two things
at the same time.
If the mind were self-luminous it would be able to cognise
everything at the same time, which it cannot. If you pay
deep attention to one thing you lose another. If the mind
were self-luminous there would be no limit to the
impressions it could receive. The Purusa can cognise all in
one moment; therefore the Purusa is self-luminous, and the
mind is not.
20. Another cognising mind being assumed
there will be no end to such assumptions
and confusion of memory.
Let us suppose that there is another mind which cognises the
first, there will have to be something which cognises that,
and so there will be no end to it. It will result in confusion
of memory, there will be no storehouse of memory.
21. The essence of knowledge (the Purusa)
being un-changeable, when the mind takes
its form, it becomes conscious.
Patanjali says this to make it more clear that knowledge is
not a quality of the Purusa. When the mind comes near the
Purusa it is reflected, as it were, upon the mind, and the
mind, for the time being, becomes knowing and seems as if
it were itself the Purusa.
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22. Coloured by the seer and the seen the mind
is able to understand everything.
On the one side the external world, the seen, is being
reflected, and on the other, the seer is being reflected; thus
comes the power of all knowledge to the mind.
23. The mind through its innumerable desires
acts for another (the Purusa), being
combinations.
The mind is a compound of various things, and therefore it
cannot work for itself. Everything that is a combination in
this world has some object for that combination, some third
thing for which this combination is going on. So this
combination of the mind is for the Purusa.
24. For the discriminating the perception of the
mind as Atman ceases.
Through discrimination the Yogi knows that the Purusa is
not mind.
25. Then bent on discriminating the mind
attains the previous state of Kaivalya
(isolation).
Thus the practice of Yoga leads to discriminating power, to
clearness of vision. The veil drops from the eyes, and we
see things as they are. We find that this nature is a
compound, and is showing the panorama for the Purusa,
who is the witness; that this nature is not the Lord, that the
whole of these combinations of nature are simply for the
sake of showing these phenomena to the Purusa, the
enthroned king within. When discrimination comes by long
practice fear ceases, and the mind attains isolation.
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26. The thoughts that arise as obstructions to
that are from impressions.
All the various ideas that arise making us belive that we
require something external to make us happy are
obstructions to that perfection. The Purusa is happiness and
blessedness by its own nature. But that knowledge is
covered over by past impressions. These impressions have
to work themselves out.
27. Their destruction is in the same manner as
of ignorance, etc., as said before.
28. Even when arriving at the right
discriminating knowledge of the senses, he
who gives up the fruits, unto him comes as
the result of perfect discrimination, the
Samadhi called the cloud of virtue.
When the Yogi has attained to this discrimination, all these
powers will come that were mentioned in the last chapter,
but the true Yogi rejects them all. Unto him comes a peculiar
knowledge, a particular light called the Dharma Megha, the
cloud of virtue. All the great prophets of the world whom
history has recorded had this. They had found the whole
foundation of knowledge within themselves. Truth to them
had become real. Peace and calmness, and perfect purity
became their own nature, after they had given up all these
vanities of powers.
29. From that comes cessation of pains and
works.
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When that cloud of virtue has come, then no more is there
fear of falling, nothing can drag the Yogi down. No more
will there be evils for him. No more pains.
30. Then knowledge, bereft of covering and
impurities, becoming infinite, the knowable
becomes small.
Knowledge itself is there; its covering is gone. One of the
Buddhistic scriptures sums up what is meant by the Buddha
(which is the name of a state). It defines it as infinite
knowledge, infinite as the sky. Jesus attained to that state
and became the Christ. All of you will attain to that state,
and knowledge becoming infinite, the knowable becomes
small. This whole universe, with all its knowable, becomes
as nothing before the Purusa. the ordinary man thinks
himself very small, because to him the knowable seems to be
so infinite.
31. Then are finished the successive transformations
of the qualities, they having attained
the end.
Then all these various transformations of the qualities, which change
from species to species, cease for ever.
32. The changes that exist in relation to moments,
and which are perceived at the other end (at
the end of a series) are succession.
Patanjali here defines the word succession, the changes that
exist in relation to moments. While I am thinking, many
moments pass, and with each moment there is a change of
idea, but we only perceive these changes at the end of a
series. So, perception of time is always in the memory. This
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is called succession, but for the mind that has realised
omnipresence all these have finished. Everything has
become present for it; the present alone exists, the past and
future are lost. This stands controlled, and all knowledge is
there in one second. Everything is known like a flash.
33. The resolution in the inverse order of the
qualities, berfect of any motive of action for
the Purusa, is Kaivalya, or it is the
establishment of the power of knowledge in
its own nature.
Nature’s task is done, this unselfish task which our sweet
nurse Nature had imposed upon herself. As it were, she
gently took the self-forgetting soul by the hand, and showed
him all the experiences in the universe, all manifestations,
bringing him higher and higher through various bodies, till
his glory came back, and he remembered his own nature.
Then the kind mother went back the way she came, for
others who have also lost their way in the trackless desert of
life. And thus she is working, without beginning and
without end. And thus through pleasure and pain, through
good and evil, the infinite river of souls is flowing into the
ocean of perfection, of self-realisation.
Glory unto those who have realised their own nature.
May their blessings be on us all! |
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