DHARMA – THE FIRST MOTIVATION
Shri Yogendraji
A human being, as soon as he is born, born, starts showing some gestures. The infant moves its tongue or hands. We don't know why and when his tongue moves. We know it needs nourishment. The mother knows it. There is a motive therein, the child may not be conscious. Behind every act of man, there is a motive. It has to be, whether it is known to him as a conscious process or whether it remains at a subconscious level, unknown to him. Now, then, do we know what these motivations are? The conscious motivations are known to us. But, many of our acts, sudden or otherwise, spring from motivations arising out of impulses from the depth, and they are not cultivated. When one is unaware of what one did, that has come from the deepest level of the subconscious.
Yoga say s no human being can act without a motive. But it is not possible for a human being to know his motivation. Sometimes many motivations get mixed up in doing one simple thing. His act may be one but motivations behind it may be many like going to see a friend in a hospital who is not well. The motivation is to see him, see how he is, along with it there is another motive; to discuss some business that is pending. There are sometimes three, four, five factors in one action which you do and you are not clear. Divided motivation distracts and divides energy. Hence Yoga gives great importance to motivation. One must be clear about one's motivation. You are practicing Yoga. To what end? For good health? Well, if it is something else, make up your mind about it. If it is spirituality, then don't think of the physical; then do your physical with your eye on spirituality; build up your spirituality. People have so many motivations in life. In a day, a man changes motivation twenty times. They change quickly. One should be clear about one's goals. According to Yoga, motivations are primordial and can be classified into four major ones.
Deliverance from what? Deliverance from the small self. While doing Dharma you are benefitting from it individually. In earning, bartering and in enjoyment of pleasure, you were the beneficiary but in Moksa you don’t do anything for yourself but for somebody else.
There are actually four types of actions. First is our duties and responsibilities, second one is the barter, to get something for yourself and family. Third one is for pleasure. In the last type, actions are done selflessly, personal gains are absent here. Now these actions have to be really understood. The perception of Yoga must be clear. Is it for the sensuous or for the sublime? Is it for commercialization? Yogis believe that it is on the strength of the motivation that the result or success depends. If we want to dig a well and get water, we have to dig deep at the same place consistently. On the other hand, if we dig at different places without consistency, we may not be able to find water. Hence, consistency in purpose is a must in Yoga.
While designing a house you have your blueprint. You know how the rooms are going to be. But that in itself is not enough because it is merely on a piece of paper. So also, for Yoga. In Yoga, you actually have to internalize the concepts drawn up as blue print.
DHARMA – THE FIRST MOTIVATION
Shri Yogendraji
A human being, as soon as he is born, born, starts showing some gestures. The infant moves its tongue or hands. We don't know why and when his tongue moves. We know it needs nourishment. The mother knows it. There is a motive therein, the child may not be conscious. Behind every act of man, there is a motive. It has to be, whether it is known to him as a conscious process or whether it remains at a subconscious level, unknown to him. Now, then, do we know what these motivations are? The conscious motivations are known to us. But, many of our acts, sudden or otherwise, spring from motivations arising out of impulses from the depth, and they are not cultivated. When one is unaware of what one did, that has come from the deepest level of the subconscious.
Yoga says no human being can act without a motive. But it is not possible for a human being to know his motivation. Sometimes many motivations get mixed up in doing one simple thing. His act may be one but motivations behind it may be many like going to see a friend in a hospital who is not well. The motivation is to see him, see how he is, along with it there is another motive; to discuss some business that is pending. There are sometimes three, four, five factors in one action which you do and you are not clear. Divided motivation distracts and divides energy. Hence Yoga gives great importance to motivation. One must be clear about one's motivation. You are practicing Yoga. To what end? For good health? Well, if it is something else, make up your mind about it. If it is spirituality, then don't think of the physical; then do your physical with your eye on spirituality; build up your spirituality. People have so many motivations in life. In a day, a man changes motivation twenty times. They change quickly. One should be clear about one's goals. According to Yoga, motivations are primordial and can be classified into four major ones.
Deliverance from what? Deliverance from the small self. While doing Dharma you are benefitting from it individually. In earning, bartering and in enjoyment of pleasure, you were the beneficiary but in Moksa you don’t do anything for yourself but for somebody else.
There are actually four types of actions. First is our duties and responsibilities, second one is the barter, to get something for yourself and family. Third one is for pleasure. In the last type, actions are done selflessly, personal gains are absent here. Now these actions have to be really understood. The perception of Yoga must be clear. Is it for the sensuous or for the sublime? Is it for commercialization? Yogis believe that it is on the strength of the motivation that the result or success depends. If we want to dig a well and get water, we have to dig deep at the same place consistently. On the other hand, if we dig at different places without consistency, we may not be able to find water. Hence, consistency in purpose is a must in Yoga.
While designing a house you have your blueprint. You know how the rooms are going to be. But that in itself is not enough because it is merely on a piece of paper. So also, for Yoga. In Yoga, you actually have to internalize the concepts drawn up as blue print.