Patanjali Yoga Sutra Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.
Chapter 1, Sutra 19
Bhavo-Pratyayah-Videha-Prakrtilayanam
That (Nirvija) Samadhi is of two kinds, viz, that attained by (prescribed) effort and that through Bhava or nescient latencies, which bring about the cycle of births. Of these, the Yogins adopt the prescribed means of effort.
Bhava : becoming
Pratyayah : cause, cognitive principle, cognition
Videha : bodiless, disembodied
Prakrti : creative cause, matter, nature
Layanam : dissolved, merged into
“The ultimate objective in yoga is to stop the mind – Citta Vriti Nirodha. The ultimate Samadhi – Asamprajnata – has no object to concentrate on. It is a blank run. We can’t attain that and the mind is all full of kachra (garbage). Something or the other keeps coming. We have reasons to be interested, so thinking starts and then more thoughts and we are busy. Initially objects are there to concentrate – Sthool (gross), Sukshma (subtle)– all categories have been mentioned. In the final stage there’s a total switch off – Nirbij.
These are technical things. To stop the mind from thinking is not an easy job. First we have to understand things, understand the limitations of things and then create the attitude of not bothering about them. The very act of understanding things, draws us and we get busy. Just like a scientist, he wants to know more and more. The theory about movement, something beyond the movement, some ultimates. Everyday you see some views where all these theories are being disproved. So we have Samadhis of higher and higher natures. Ultimate is Nirbij – without any objects, without any thoughts. In that, the past processes stop.
Our problem is that earlier desires, earlier impressions, earlier Samskaras have completely covered us. If we sit for a little while, some such thoughts come and we start bothering – somebody is staying in America and you start thinking about him, somebody has cut relations and still you are worried. The final key is total stoppage of all thoughts. Can you accept a mind which doesn’t have thoughts? Can we try and see that there is a continuity of that state? One can do good deeds but don’t get entangled. Thoughts that influence feelings, ideas have all to be stopped. There is no exception. They keep the mind active, involved and ultimately there is suffering, pain. If we have to go out of pain, we will have to stop the mind. The character of our thinking is such that it doesn’t help us. It complicates and takes us away from a stable mind. The mind is busy, busy to any limit. Our thoughts can go to the highest things, to the lowest things. It is capable of everything.
In his last days, when Newton was walking down the seashore, he picked up a pebble and showed it to the world, “This is my great discovery, for which I am recognized. After all, this is just a pebble – a little pebble on the big seashore – it is nothing”. Our thinking is of that nature. We do fierce thinking, very deep thinking, but it never takes us to the reality. It just takes us round and round. That is the inherent nature of thinking. It does not take us to the thoughtless areas which are of awareness, deep understanding. Thinking and understanding don’t go together. Thinking creates more thinking and it carries on. Understanding is a deep internal certainty and one stops thinking. As we are made, we are depending on thinking. Our mind is very clever, arguing, intellectual and it doesn’t stop. A very clever man can keep on arguing to any extent.
A very senior lawyer in Allahabad High Court was arguing and he went on arguing. His assistant was trying his best to draw the attention of the lawyer who was arguing. After tiring himself the great lawyer looked down at his assistant and asked what the matter was. The assistant replied, “Sir, you were arguing against our client.” He was paid by the client to save him. So that is the problem. Now what did the great lawyer do? He said, “Don’t worry,” and then he started arguing in the clients favour and ultimately won the case. So he could talk one way also and other way also. All our life, we are clever – we can think, argue and all that, we can go on and on. There is no end to the thinking. In this thinking it can’t think anything else, except getting more involved, complicated and bound.”
“After all the development, (and development takes places with good amount of hard effort – one pointed effort – Abhyasa, Vairagya) one moves ahead, and then only Samskaras remain. Everything else is cleared. One has to carry on with the impressions for a very long time to get into the Moksha (liberation) state. If the time is over and the person dies then such a person remains in a Vedeha state (body is not there). He has to take birth he has to finish the Samskaras. He finds a place where the parents are Yogis. His yoga in the new birth is again revived. All his efforts in the earlier lives are carried over and only a final little is remaining. Ultimately his Samskaras finish and he becomes totally detached and reaches the Moksha stage.
There is another state, Prakritilata. Vedeha is a bodyless state. Prakrtilaya is state where Samskaras are also gone but the final state has not come. So the person has to again take birth. Moksha comes when all the Karmas are fulfilled (i.e. the effect of Karma). A person may be the wisest person, but one has to still carry on because he has to go through the Karma, the sufferings of life. Progress occurs only through actions, not otherwise. Do the right actions, then slowly desire for the actions also goes, Samskaras go, then Moksha comes. During the lifetime also, the person should form a habit of thinking that ‘I am away from body – Prakrtilaya.’ It is technique in Jainism – Prekshadhyan. You are sitting on a mat and imagining you are different from your body. That sort of meditation they do. Slowly one should realize that the looks, texture of the body, etc. hardly has any meaning and the person observes, feels the state which is away from the body, often during the day.”
About Parisamvad
On every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, The Yoga Institute, Santacruz holds Parisamvad sessions – Free interactive sessions that are open to all. These session begin at 7:20 am and end around 7:45 am.
The Friday Parisamvad is dedicated to explanation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by our esteemed Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji.
All are welcome to attend.
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