Swami Krishnananda Shashtyabdapurti Mahotsava Commemoration Volume
A Souvenir released on Swami Krishnananda's 60th Birthday
Yoga Sadhana—A Mirror in Man's Life
by B.K.S. Iyengar
The life of each individual is based on nature (Prakriti), soul (Jivatma) and Universal God (Paramatma). Nature shoots out Mahat or cosmic intelligence. The Jivatma is a part of Paramatma, existing as Purusha or human souls. The Jivatma has a vehicle in the form of Chitta, which is the off-shoot of cosmic intelligence. Chitta is constituted of Ahankara (Tness or ego), Buddhi (reason) and Manas (mental faculty of Chintan, i.e., thinking or thought). Hence, Chitta is the subtlest form of Prakriti or matter. Jivatma is pure consciousness. Though pure, the Jivatma has two facets. When the Jivatma moves in the spirit, it is spiritual, pure and divine; it is Antaryamin. When it moves in mind-matter-energy, it becomes Buddhisattva or mental consciousness, which is called the Chitta. This is the vehicle of the Jivatma, which often appears as the pure Self, but in actuality, is the instrument of the Atma.
Yoga has been defined as "Chitta Vritti Nirodhah". That is to say, to stop all internal and external forms of thinking which may sprout with or without volition is Yoga. 'Chitta' stands for several things like inspiration, aspiration, drive, willpower, intelligence, reason, consciousness and so forth. In Yogic terminology, Chitta stands distinctly for three things. They are mind (Manas), intelligence (Buddhi), and the T maker or the state which ascertains, 'I know' (Ahankara). Mind has the power of gathering and feeling. It has no discriminative power. Intelligence discriminates, reasons and comes to determinative knowledge. This being the nearest vehicle to the Self, it prides itself as the true Self. This is the creator of 'I' and 'Me' in man. Hence, one should know this as the vehicle of the true Self the true Self.
Man cannot be separated from the body, just as the trunk of a tree cannot exist without a root. The physical body is a part of man from time immemorial.
This body has three layers. They are known as causal body (Karana Sarira), subtle body (Sukshma Sarira) and gross body (Karya Sarira). As the tree has branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, this body of man functions in mind, matter, energy and pure consciousness as the anatomical sheath (Annamaya Kosa), the intellectual sheath (Vijnanamaya Kosa) and the bliss sheath (Anandamaya Kosa).
The cause body or the Karana Sarira is the sheath of the soul. This is incorruptible and non-decaying. When man is not in this body, he loses his own Svarupa dwells in the Chitta. This is the subtle body or the psycho-physiological sheath (Sukshma Sarira). The senses of perception and action are the vehicles of the Karya Sarira. This sheath of perception and action is dependent on the mind. Without the mind, the outer body cannot function. The gross and the subtle bodies are interdependent upon each other. Man uses his senses to enjoy the demands of the mind. Like the spokes of the wheel, these enjoyments revolve between pleasures and pains and he is caught in the web of these worldly desires. He becomes a victim of circumstances and environments, which create dual consciousness or a dual personality. This state in man is the seed of separation or Viyoga or Duhkha. It is interesting at this juncture to note that the Art and Science of Yoga starts with the philosophy of sorrow or affliction. Sage Patanjali narrates the causes for this dual personality, viz., nescience (Avidya), egoism (Asmita), attachment (Raga), aversion (Dvesha) and selfishness to enjoy the pleasures of life and the fear of losing them (Abhinivesha).
As both afflictions and feelings of joy and pleasure belong to the movements of the mind, the practice of Yoga sublimates the mind and will through conscious effort, to release the Self from the web of pains and pleasures, and lead him to experience that state which is beyond pains and pleasures. That is the pristine pure state known as the real, Sa-Svarupa or Jivatma-Svarupa in man.
Our consciousness (Chitta) has two facets. One is the intellectual consciousness and the other is the emotional consciousness. In the former, one acquires just knowledge. It is called Vidya or objective knowledge, and the latter is the knowledge understood by experiences. It is called buddhi or subjective knowledge. Intellectual consciousness is developed through Pranama (direct perception), Viparyaya (false perception), Vikalpa (imagination), Nidra (sleep) and Smriti (memory). Emotional consciousness is understood and developed by experiencing pleasures and pains, heat and cold, honour and dishonour, joys and sorrows, contentment and elation. The spokes of pleasures and pains move alternately and disturb the state of consciousness, creating imbalance or ill-health, physically, emotionally and intellectually.
Patanjali, the father of Yoga, has given two Sutras to develop harmony, balance and concord in physical health as well as emotional and intellectual health. He says that it is possible to achieve these either by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion) or by total surrender to the Supreme (Isvara Pranidhana).
For an average man, total surrender is not only difficult, but an impossibility. Hence, sage Patanjali insists on Abhyasa and Vairagya as the two wings of the Sadhaka to fly from the world of matter to the world of the spirit. Abhyasa (practice) is to do the Sadhana over long durations, without interruption and with dedication and devotion; and Vairagya is to learn to minimise physical wants and emotional desires, so that sooner or later, the Sadhaka develops total desirelessness and gets attached to the Supreme or God.
Through Abhyasa, the intellectual consciousness is stabilised; and by Vairagya, the emotional consciousness is controlled. With a motive to develop harmony between the intellectual and the emotional sides, man begins Yoga Sadhana. When harmony is achieved, then the disciplines (Abhyasa and Vairagya) which were forced as regimental discipline become a natural process, and the practitioner continues these practices without any motive or desire. From then on, his Sadhana is without any motive or desire. It becomes Vairagyabhyasa.
In this state, he develops stability in mind and steadfastness in his intellect. He has no more disparities within himself or his envelope—the body. His Sadhana becomes all in one and one in all. This is the true nature of one's self. This state of Sadhana can be called Prajnana Yoga. This is twofold—Samprajnata and Asamprajnata. In Samprajnata, the person is cut off from all external things and impressions, but he is alert internally. He is aware of his Svarupa. In Asamprajnata, all the internal and external vibrations cease and the Yogi loses the awareness of his very self as his consciousness becomes cosmic.
Due to intensive Sadhana in their previous lives, some are born as Prakriti-Layas while others are born as Videha-Muktas.
Jada Bharata was born as a Prakriti-Laya. Ramana and Ramakrishna were born as Videha Muktas. Videhas are Muktas in this cycle or Kalpa. Prakriti-Layas are the ones perfected in the previous life. They have the balanced mind and they look on things and events evenly without perturbation. They are called as Samahita-Chittas. As they have calm and composed minds, they are fit for Dhyana; and they exhort others to follow the same line of thought without giving importance to the other aspects of Yoga. But, Patanjali warns them too to maintain all aspects of Yoga so that they may cultivate and maintain the essence of the other aspects of Yoga too to become perfect Yogis.
For ordinary men like us, we have to start definitely from the principles of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara and so on. And also, we have to start by being friendly to all, compassionate towards those who are suffering, glad about those who are virtuous, indifferent to both, good and evil, happiness and misery. Then, our Sadhana should be coupled with Sraddha (faith), Virya (courage and energy), Smriti (good retentive power), Samadhi (contemplation) and Prajna (wisdom).
Success in Yoga depends upon our earnest practice. If our practice is casual, the effects are casual; and if it is religious, the effect too is religious. It all depends upon the amount of energy one puts forth with faith, determination and discrimination. Both seriousness and sincerity are required.
What is faith? Faith is not just a belief. Faith is trust, confidence, veneration or respect. Faith at once creates the zeal to act. It is a way a key to Sadhana; whereas, belief is an acceptance of views of what one has said or heard. Acceptance being verbal, it may or may not ignite or incite the zeal to act. So, it does not become a key to Sadhana. Faith, being a quality of trust and veneration, demands not only confidence in Sadhana, but also reverence to God. Patanjali calls Him ISVARA—THE SUPREME— THE GURU of all Gurus.
He defines Isvara as "Klesa-karma-vipakasayair aparamrishtah purusha-visesha Isvarah". He is God who is untouched by cause and effect, action and fruition. He is free of affliction, action and fruition.
Due to our dual ways of thinking and acting, obstacles like ailments (Vyadhi), languor or physical weakness (Styana), doubt (Samsaya), heedlessness (Pramada), laziness (Alasya), sensuality (Avireti), philosophy of illusion (Bhranti-Darsana), not being able to pursue after experiencing (Alabdhabhumika), and instability (Anavastha) take a heavy toll on our spirits. They are further aggravated by pains (Duhkha), weakness of mind (Daurmanasya), shakiness (Angamejayatva) and non-harmonious respiration (Svasa-prasvasa). These are the symptoms distracting the mind from its one-pointed attention to Self-realisation. All these are impurities in one form or the other. They are to be checked, controlled, and eradicated by the practice of Yoga. Then the light of this intelligence reaches discriminative knowledge.
Intuitive power and clarity dawn on the Yoga practitioner; he perseveres in his path and develops a singleness of purpose whether he be in the waking, sleeping or in the dreamy state. He becomes as clear as crystal. No tinge of doubt remains. The mind becomes free from the objects and it becomes a thing by itself. It does not depend upon the organs of perception or senses of action. Time, place and space lose their identities. Habits are broken. The Sadhaka has reached the highest state and tasted the true essence of Yoga. You may call it Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Rajadhi Raja Yoga or Kshetra-Kshetranja Yoga. It all means the same.
The body and the mind are like fallow lands lying untilled and unsowed. A wise farmer ploughs the land, provides water fertiliser, plants the best of the seeds, carefully tends the crops and at the end reaps the best of harvest. Likewise, for a Yogic practitioner, the body, the mind and the intellect constitute the field. He ploughs his body and mind with Yama and Niyama, removes weeds by Asanas, waters it with energy through Pranayama, uses the thoughts and actions of Pratyahara as fertilizer, sows the best of seeds—Dharana—through the Mantra Aum, and tends it with Dhyana to reap the harvest of harmony and peace—Samadhi or Kaivalya.
Thus, the art of Yoga deals with the purification of the body, mind and self. Yoga is Tapas, as it involves blazing effort involving discipline of the physical body (Sthula or Karya Sarira), psycho-physiological body (subtle and Prana Sarira) and self (Linga or Karana Sarira). Yoga is Swadhayaya or study of the Self, from the skin to the Self and from the Self to the skin. Yoga is Isvara Pranidhana—a total surrender to the Supreme. Thus Tapas, Swadhayaya and Isvara Pranidhana are the golden keys that unlock the gates of the Self.
Body represents a nation in the individual. When the nation is careless and weak in defence, the aggressor attacks and occupies it. Similarly, diseases are just waiting outside our skin to enter the inner frontier of the body when its defensive energy is at a lower level and creates psychosomatic illnesses causing disharmony within and without. Daily practice of Yoga not only destroys the obstacles—whether they are physical, moral, emotional, intellectual or spiritual—but also prevents the symptoms that come in the way of the light of illumination. The Yogi masters his body, mind and spirit. He bridges the gaps between the body and the mind, and the mind and the soul. From this stage on, for the Sadhaka, the Self which remained as an object so far becomes the subject itself. The knower, the knowable and the known become one. The journey of the seeker searching the seer comes to an end. The goal and the soul unite and both merge losing their separate identity. There is neither the observer nor the observed.
Thus, by the constant culture of Yoga, from Yam, to Dhyana, he gets civilised and becomes an adept—a Kushala, a true owner of the sacred body. The light of wisdom dawns on him like Dharma Megha. As the Dharma or duty of the clouds is to pour rain, the Yogi's light of wisdom pours out knowledge which is ever pure, ever green and continues to live for posterity.
His way of living reflects on humanity, like the reflection of the mirror, and trans-forms them. Thus, the culture of a Yogi becomes the civilisation of the world.