(Spoken on October 9th, 1995)
We have discussed the pinnacle of yoga practice, namely, samadhi or samapatti according to the system of Patanjali, and have turned our attention to the preliminary requirements for the attainment of this goal as suggested by Sage Patanjali himself. I briefly mentioned the importance of the stages known as yama, niyama, asana and pranayama. The real court of yoga we enter only when we come to what is known as pratyahara and dharana, restraint of the senses and concentration of the mind.
Much has been said everywhere, in all the scriptures, by saints and sages that the senses have to be restrained. The reason for the necessity to control the activity of the senses arises from the nature of things themselves, namely, things are not really objects. They have their own subjective nature in themselves. Nothing is an object in the sense of a subservient appendage to somebody else. To convert things into objects of sensory satisfaction is, on the nature of the things themselves, an insult to the things. This is why in a great and famous passage in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is said that objects run away from that person who considers the objects as outside oneself.
The very idea of someone being outside is anathema, really speaking, because no one would like to be outside as an unwanted external, not intimately and vitally connected to something else. The senses make the mistake of imagining that the objects are unconnected with themselves, because if they are vitally connected to the senses, there is no point in the senses running after the objects, as one does not run after one's own self.
It is in the Bhagavadgita that we are told of the true nature of the sense organs and the objects – namely, that both these aspects of perception and experience are products of the operation of the three gunas of prakriti, known as sattva, rajas and tamas, which are the constituents of the sense organs, which are also the constituents of the objects, so-called, of the senses.
So whatever is the essence of the sense organs is also the essence of the objects. Therefore, there is actually no justifiable point on the part of the sense organs to move towards another thing, as if it is really another thing. The objects are not another thing. They are wrongly conceived externalities of the very same thing of which the sense organs also are constituted. A self-alienation, as it were, takes place when objects are considered as things meant for enjoyment of the sense organs. You enjoy an alienated part of your own self through a projected part of yourself, known as sensations – great blunder of the first rate.
This is the reason why it is said the senses must be withdrawn from their habit of regarding things in general as objects of enjoyment. There is no such thing as enjoyment, really speaking. The irritation, the nervous tension and agitation which characterise the sense organs when they feel charged with a desire to move towards something which they consider as outside keep the senses unhappy, and an illusory satisfaction or happiness seems to be brought about by the cessation of this anguish after the senses come in contact with the objects.
So all happiness is an illusion, if happiness is to be construed in the sense of sensory activity and experience. Since this is the one thing after which people run, such a kind of attitude is contrary to the great aim of yoga, which is universal experience. Hence, there is necessity for self-restraint.
In one of the great passages of the Bhagavadgita it is said that yogis restrain their senses either by offering the sense organs in the fire of self-control or by offering the objects in the fire of the sense organs. Difficult it is to make out the meaning of this kind of statement. Sense restraint is described in two ways. Either the senses are restrained by subjugation of their impulses in regard to the objects outside, or by the placement of the objects themselves in the context of the sense organs, the desire for them is made to cease.
Restraint of the senses does not mean putting a pressure on the desire of the senses, but an elimination of the desire itself. The word ‘fire’ that is used in these verses is very pertinent: “In the fire of restraint the senses are offered.” So restraint is a fire, and not merely an action of the nature of suppression or negative restraint. Because it is a fire, it consumes the impulse of desire for things. It is a fire which consumes into ashes, as it were, all desire for objects. So self-restraint, sense control, does not mean pressing down the existing desires into the subconscious, but burning them down in the fire of restraint.
Or, the other way is to place the sense organs in harmony with the objects. What do you mean by placing the sense organs in harmony with the objects? The objects are not to be regarded as temptations for the senses or the mind. They are friends of our own selves. The objects are not temptations. They are our friends. A friend cannot be an object of temptation. A friend cooperates with you and coordinates with your activities. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the objects as on par with your own existence, and not regard them as either as tools for your sensory satisfaction or even as things totally isolated from you.
Inasmuch as the world, the universe as a whole, is a single living principle, no part of it can be regarded as outside some other part, and therefore no part of it can become an object for the enjoyment of another part. The parts of the whole act in a complementary manner – one assisting the other, cooperating with the other, coordinating itself with the other – in a state of harmony that is required for the maintenance of the balance of the organism itself. This is a very difficult practice. You can never consider the objects that are tempting you as your friends, and just be with them as you are with your friends. But such a philosophical attitude is called for in this form of self-restraint.
These are certain prescriptions for the practice of the withdrawal of consciousness operating through the sense organs. Actually, the senses by themselves are not the culprits. The trouble is in the nature of consciousness itself, which rushes forward through the apertures of the sense organs, externally. The word ‘externally’ is to be underlined again and again. The outsideness of things is the trouble; the things themselves are not the trouble. Therefore, the consciousness has to be trained in regard to its essential nature, which is non-externality – consciousness being pure subjectivity, consciousness being never being an object to its own self. Consciousness cannot see itself as if it is outside itself. Such being the case, it is futile on the part of this process of consciousness to imagine as if it is moving in a world of dreams, where illusory objects present themselves as if they are truly existing there physically.
There is a psychological blunder, a metaphysical error involved in the very activity of consciousness itself. The entire soul in us, in its individualised capacity, is in a restless condition, while actually it has no cause to be restless because the soul is what it is. It cannot be other than what it is.
This is something to tell you about the nature of pratyahara, or sense control. Other, lesser methods of sense control are known to you, as prescribed in the scriptures, namely, being physically away from objects that are likely to be regarded as tempting to you. If you have a house just near a brewery or a cinema house or some such place, the mind easily acquiesces in the possibility of utilising these atmospheres for its satisfaction through the impulses. Be away physically, as far as possible, from such places, such things, and such persons who are likely to attract your attention in a wrong direction.
And be moderate in your dealings. This is a great teaching we have from the Bhagavadgita. Yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu, yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkhahā (BG 6.17): “That great saving panacea known as yoga is available to that person who is moderate in eating – not going to excess of either eating too much or not eating at all; moderate in sleeping – not sleeping the whole day and night or not sleeping at all; being active – not always, but only when it is necessary, and also not being inactive. All propensities, impulses and needs of life have to be harmonised in a golden mean, as they call it. No excess of any kind, either this way or that way, is to be attempted. Having everything or having nothing – neither of these things are advisable.
And, I was also mentioning something about the nature of concentration of mind, which is dharana. On what is it that you are going concentrate the mind? I mentioned certain points in this connection last time, which you must be always remembering. You cannot concentrate your mind on anything which is repulsive in its nature, which you do not at all appreciate in any manner; nor would you like to go on concentrating on something which is neutral in its nature, which neither you like nor you do not like.
It is the nature of the mind to concentrate on and think of only that which is pleasurable in its nature. It is not that you must be concentrating on pleasurable objects. The idea is that through a particularised form of pleasant feeling, you rise to a universal form of pleasantness, which is attributed to God Almighty Himself.
Inasmuch as nothing in the world can be regarded as permanently pleasant always – the things of the world have an unpleasant aspect also, at the same time. No person is wholly good or wholly bad; nothing is always beautiful or ugly. They have got two aspects of the matter, so if you concentrate your mind only on the pleasant aspect of the things of the world, one day you will realise that the unpleasant side of the very same thing also presents itself. Hence, it is suggested that no object in the world can be regarded as a suitable thing for concentration, from the point of view of yoga.
What is the most suitable thing, then? That which will never desert you, that which will be always with you, that which can satisfy you completely, in every manner. That is God Himself. No one else can satisfy you completely, and for all times, except God Almighty. It is necessary to have faith in God, if your spiritual concentration should be successful. A person who is atheistic, who believes only in the material comforts of life and denies the possibility of there being another thing beyond the world, will not be able to attain this goal of yoga because such a person will be wedded to partial thinking only, and will be unfit for this kind of higher concentration.
As nobody has seen God, it will indeed be difficult to concentrate the mind on God Almighty. You can only stretch your imagination to a point of your idea of perfection – deathlessness, beauty, magnificence, grandeur, comprehensiveness and perfection – in order that you may be able to conceive a possible picture of the presence of God. By ‘picture’, I do not mean something that is painted on a canvas or a piece of paper. It is something that is presented to your mind by your own vision.
It is not difficult to raise this picture before the mind. One thing is that God is everywhere, and therefore you should never go for an object that is only in one place. God is everywhere, in everything, and He is the soul of your own self. God operates from outside as well as from inside, being everything in Himself.
Perfection is the nature of God. ‘Perfection’ means all things that you consider as desirable, from your point of view. It never perishes as other things do in the world. It is not subject to the destructive activity of the time process. It is above time, therefore. It is not only in one place; therefore, it is above space also. It is neither in space, nor in time. It is Being-as-such. It is wonderful happiness to have a vision of such a Being, because of the fact that all your longings are fulfilled at one stroke by this great Being Who is the dear delight of your own bosom.
The object that you concentrate upon as a symbol of God Almighty is that which you believe to be capable of bestowing upon you everything whatsoever that you can imagine in your mind. That is why He is called Almighty, Supreme Power, capable of granting any boon whatsoever. If you can convince yourself of the possibility of such a Being in your vicinity, within you or without you; if it has entered your feelings and not merely the understanding, logically; if your feelings are throbbing with the great expectation of even the thought of there being such a thing as God of this nature, your mind will jump on it and fix itself, as an arrow will go and fix itself on its target.
Such a concept of God is known as ishta devata in ordinary language – your dear delight, your beautiful god, your most beloved thing. The most beloved thing is your ishta. It is your divinity; therefore, it is devata. A god is that which is above all things, and inclusive of everything. Therefore, there is no necessity to think of anything else outside this ishta devata. It is transcendent, and not just outside, as an object, like other things in the world.
Again, be sure that you are confident that you are going to obtain everything by the grace of this Divine Being. You should not doubt in your mind whether this will bring anything or not. Doubts are the greatest of traitors, it is said. You have no enemy anywhere except your own disbelief and doubt, even in regard to the possibility of achieving this perfection – whether it exists or not.
From all we have gathered up to this time by our analysis and study philosophically, you would have convinced yourself of the existence of a mighty reality called God. If the conviction itself is lacking, then everything that you do in this world is a waste, and it will be like pouring ghee on ashes, not on fire. Faith is the greatest thing. A faithless person achieves nothing. So it is necessary to implant in your heart a perfect faith in the capacity of this ishta devata to bestow upon you everything and anything.
This is the highest form of concentration of the mind, and when this concentration goes on continuously due to the delight it brings to you, that concentration becomes meditation. A continuous flow of the same uniform thought in concentration is actually known as meditation. Unbroken continuity of the feeling of the presence of this wondrous divinity before you is concentration as well as meditation, when it is prolonged for a long time.
The aim finally is, as you know, not only to seek a blessing from this divinity as an external gift from God, but to have God Himself with you. Don’t you believe that the giver is greater than that which is given? So you reach a stage where you don’t expect any material gift from God, though He is capable of granting that gift also.
Difficult it is for the mind to conceive the greatness of God, and His being All-in-all, and that you need nothing else from Him except Himself only. This is the pinnacle of concentration and the best form of meditation, which leads you finally to the union that you expected in yoga. The union finally, according to the system of Patanjali, is that which I have already delineated through the stages of samapatti earlier. But there are various other types of union also, according to the schools of teachings and yoga, any one of which you can adopt for your practical purpose.