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Written by Swami Vivekananda |
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THIS is a summary of Raja Yoga freely translated from the
Kurma Purana.
The fire of Yoga burns the cage of sin that is around a
man. Knowledge becomes purified, and Nirvana is directly
obtained. From Yoga comes knowledge, knowledge again
helps the Yogi. He who is a compound of both Yoga and
knowledge, with him the Lord is pleased. Those that
practice Mahayoga, either once a day, or twice a day, or
thrice, or always, know them to be gods. Yoga is divided
into two parts. One is called the Abhava, and the other
Mahayoga. Where one’s self is meditated on as zero, and
bereft of quality, that is called Abhava; the Yogi, by each
one, realises his Self. That in which one sees the Self as full
of bliss and bereft of all impurities, and one with God, is
called Mahayoga. The other Yogas that we read and hear of,
do not deserve one particle of this great Brahmayoga, in
which the Yogi finds himself and the whole universe as God
himself. This is the highest of all Yogas.
These are the steps in Raja Yoga. Yama, Niyama, Asana,
Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi, of
which, non-injuring anybody, truthfulness, noncovetousness,
chastity, not receiving anything from another,
are called Yama; it purifies themind, the Chitta. By thought,
word, and deed, always, and in every living being, not
producing pain is what is called Ahimsa, non-injuring. There
is no virtue higher than this non-injuring. There is no
happiness higher than what a man obtains by this attitude of
non-offensiveness to all creation. By truth we attain to
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73
work. Through truth everything is attained; in truth
everything is established. Relating facts as they are; this is
truth. Not taking others’ goods by stealth or by force is
called Asteyam, non-covetousness. Chastity in thought,
word, and deed, always, and in all conditions, is what is
called Brahmacharya. Not receiving any present from
anybody, even when one is suffering terribly, is what is
called Aparigraha. When a man receives a gift from another
man, the theory is that his heart becomes impure, he
becomes low, he loses his independence, he becomes bound
and attached. The following are helps to success in Yoga.
Niyama, regular habits and observances; Tapas, austerity;
Sradhyaya, study; Santela, contentment; Saucham, purity;
Icvara pranidhana, worshipping God. Fasting, or in other
ways controlling the body, is called the physical Tapas.
Repeating the Vedas, and other Mantrams, by which the
Sattva material in the body is purifies, is called study,
Sradhyaya. There are three sorts of repetions of these
Mantrams. One is called the verbal, another semi-verbal,
and the third mental. The verbal or audible is the lowest,
and the inaudible is the highest of all. The repetition which
is so loud that anybody can hear it is the verbal; the next one
is where only the organs begin to vibrate, but no sound is
heard; another man sitting near cannot hear what is being
said. That in which there is no sound, only mental repetition
of the Mantram, at the same time thinking its meaning, is
called the “mental muttering” and is the highest. The sages
have said that there are two sorts of purification, external and
internal. The purification for the body is by water, earth, or
other materials; the external purification, as by bathing, etc.
Purification of the mind by truth, and by all the other virtues,
is what is called internal purification. Both are necessary. It
is not sufficient that a man should be internally pure and
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externally dirty. When both are not attainable the internal
purity is the better, but no one will be a Yogi until he has
both. Worship is by praise, by memory, by having devotion
to God.
We have spoken about Yama and Niyama; next comes
Pranayama. Prana means the vital forces in one’s own
body, Yama means controlling them. There are three sorts of
Pranayama, the very simple, the middle, and the very high.
The whole of Pranayama is divided into two parts; one is
called filling, and the other is called emptying. When you
begin with twelve seconds it is the lowest Pranayama; when
you begin with twenty-four seconds it is the middle
Pranayama; that Pranayama is the best which begins with
thirty-six seconds. That Pranayama in which there is first
perspiration, then vibration of the body, and then rising from
the seat and joining of the man’s soul with great bliss is the
very highest Pranayama. There is a Mantram called the
Gayatri. It is a very holy verse of the Vedas. “We meditate
on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe;
may He enlighten our minds.” Then Om is joined to it, at the
beginning and end. In one Pranayama repeat three Gayatris.
In all books they speak of Pranayama being divided into
Rechaka (rejecting or exhaling), Puraka (inhaling), and
Kumbhaka (restraining, stationary). The Indriyas, the organs
of the senses, are acting outwards and coming in contact
with external objects. Bringing them under the control of the
will is what is called Pratyahara; gathering towards oneself
is the literal translation.
Fixing the mind on the lotus of heart, or on the centre of
the head, is what is called Dharana. When remaining in one
place, making one place as the base, where the waves of the
mind rise up, without being touched by the other waves—
when all other waves have stopped—and one wave only
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rises in the mind, that is called Dhyana, meditation. When
no basis is necessary, when the whole of the mind has
become one wave, “one-formedness,” it is called Samadhi.
Bereft of all help from places and centres, only the meaning
of the thing is presesnt. If the mind can be fixed on one
centre for twelve second it will be a Dharana, twelve such
Dharanas will be a Dhyana, and twelve such Dhyanas will
be a Samadhi. The next is Asana (posture). The only thing
to understand is to hold the body straight, leaving the body
free, with the chest, shoulders, and head straight. Where
there is fire, or in water, or on ground which is strewn with
dry leaves, or where there are wild animals, where four
streets meet, or where there is too much noise, or too much
fear, or too many ant hills, where there are many wicked
persons, Yoga must not be practiced in such places. This
applies more particularly to India. When the body feels very
lazy do not practice, or when the mind is very miserable and
sorrowful, or when the body is ill. God to a place which is
well hidden, and where people do not come to disturb you.
As soon as you do not want people to know what you are
doing all the curiousity in the world will be awakened, but, if
you go into the street and want people to know what you are
doing, they will not care. Do not choose dirty places.
Rather choose beautiful scenery, or a room in your own
house which is beautiful. When you practice, first salute all
the ancient Yogis, and your own Guru, and God, and then
begin.
Dhyana is spoken of, and a few examples are given of
what to meditate upon. Sit straight, and look at the tip of
your nose. Later on we will come to know how that
concentrates the mind, how by controlling the two optic
nerves one advances a long way towards the control of the
arc of reaction, and so to the control of the will. These are a
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few specimens of meditation. Imagine a lotus upon the top
of the head, several inches up, and virtue as its centre, the
stalk as knowledge. The eight petals of the lotus are the
eight powers of the Yogi. Inside, the stamens and pistils are
renunciation. If the Yogi refuses the external powers he will
come to salvation. So the eight petals of the lotus are the
eight powers, but the internal stamens and pistils are the
extreme renunciation, the renunciation of all these. Inside of
that lotus think of the Golden One, the Almighty, the
Intangible, He whose name is Om, the Inexpressible,
surrounded with effulgent light. Meditate on that. Another
meditation is given. Think ofa space in your heard, and in
the midst of that space think that a flame is burning. Think
of that flame as your own soul, and inside that flame is
another space, effulgent, and that is the Soul of your soul,
God. Meditate upon that in the heart. Chastity, noninjuring,
pardoning everyone, even the greatest enemy, truth,
faith in the Lord, these are all different Vrittis. Be not afraid
if you are not perfect in all of these; work, and the others
will come. He who has given up all attachment, all fear, and
all anger, he whose whole soul has gone unto the Lord, he
who has taken refuge in the Lord, whose hart has become
purified, with whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord He
will grant that to him. Therefore worship Him through
knowledge, or worship Him through love, or worship Him
through renunciation.
“He is my beloved worshipper, he is my beloved Bhakta,
who is not jealous of any being, who is the friend of all, who
is merciful to all, who has nothing of his own, whose
egotism is lost: he who is always satisfied; he who works
always in Yoga, whose self has become controlled, whose
will is firm, whose mind and whose intelligence are given up
unto me, know that he is my beloved Bhakta. From whom
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comes no disturbance, who never becomes the cause of
disturbance to others, he who has given up excessive joy,
grief, and fear, and anxiety. Such a one is my beloved. He
who does not depend on anything, pure, active, giving up all,
who does not care whether good comes or evil, never
becomes miserable; he who is the same in praise or in blame,
with a silent, thoughtful ,ind, blessed with what little comes
in his way, homeless, he who has no home, the whole world
is his home, steady in his ideas, such a one becomes a Yogi.”
There was a great god-sage called Narada. Just as there
are sages among mankind, great Yogis, so there are great
Yogis among the gods. Narada was a good Yogi, and very
great. He travelled everywhere, and one day he was passing
through a forest, and he saw a man who had been meditating
until the white ants had built a huge mound round his body,
he had been sitting in that position so long. He said to
Narada, “Where are you going?” Narada replied, “I am
going to heaven.” “Then ask God when He will be merciful
to me; when I will attain freedom.” Further on Narada saw
another man. He was jumping about, singing, dancing, and
said, “Oh, Narada, where are you going?” His voice and his
gestures were wild. Narada said, “I am going to heaven.”
“Then, ask when I will be free.” So Narada went on. In the
course of time he came again by the same road, and there
was the man who had been meditating till the anti-hills had
grown round him. He said “Oh, Narada, did you ask the
Lord about me?” “Oh, yes.” “What did He say?” “The
Lord told me that you would attain freedom in four more
births.” Then the man began to weep and wail, and said, “I
have meditated until an ant-hill has been raised around me,
and I have four more birth yet!” Narada went to the other
man. “Did you ask my question?” “Oh, yes. Do you see
this tamarind tree? I have to tell you that as many leaves as
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there are on that tree, so many times you will be born, and
then you will attain freedom.” Then the man began to dance
for joy, and said, “I will have freedom after such a short
time.” A voice came, “My child, you will have freedom this
minute.” That was the reward for his perseverance. He was
ready to work through all those births, nothing discouraged
him. But the first man felt that even four more births must
be too long. Only perseverance like that of the man who was
willing to wait ?ons will bring about the highest result. |
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