Patanjali Yoga Sutra Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.
Chapter 1, Sutra 23
Isvara-pranidhanat-va
Isvara : God
Pranidhanat : sincerity , dedication , devotion , surrender of fruits of practice
Va : or
From Special Devotion To Isvara Also (Concentration Becomes Imminent).
“This thinking (about God) comes to us when we are in trouble. Otherwise ‘we’ are there. We understand everything, we can solve things, but a time comes when we don’t understand and we revert to God. This happens also in development of our belief. A higher state of consciousness exists, but we just can’t understand. This has been put as an alternative. If you want to make your mind steady, this will be necessary but it is not insisted in yoga. The student as he begins, carries on, on his own strength and then in later life faces situations which are impossible and gets troubled for any amount of time and until the end he may avoid this thinking but it comes. It is a helpful state according to yoga sutras.
Yoga sutra is not a theistic science. It doesn’t insist (on believing in Higher Reality) right at the start, it just says stop the mind – Citta Vriti Nirodha. That is impossible. Till we can come to a point where we can totally submit everything and leave everything, only then the mind is settled. It is a clear, sensible arrangement – person who learns yoga need not be a believer, a theist, but when such a time does comes when one can’t understand, explain , then one can quietly submit to God. It helps, the man is stable, steady, one-pointed and one can progress. This one-pointedness is very necessary in yoga. If it is running here and there, uncertain, doubtful then one can’t concentrate completely.
Very interestingly, this alternative idea has been put after having discussed the main practices. Many years back when there was a severe earthquake, many people seeing that strange things were happening – the cupboard was swinging forward and backward, the ground on which they were standing was shaky – all inexplicable. No police, none to help. Some people told me that for the first time in their life, they prayed, submitted everything to God. Unless the shake up is there, this belief is very hard.”
“If you want to believe in God, believe in God and if you don’t want to believe, don’t believe. Without Isvara also one can do Abhyasa. In yoga they mention this path which is not mentioned in Samkhya. Research has shown that those who have faith in God are less stressed, have less diseases, less problems in relationships. Their healing is much faster, their immunity is much stronger, it is totally up to us whether we want to believe or not.”
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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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