A woman is cursed to see but does nothing else. She enjoys sitting at the window. Once she sees a charming prince who waves out to her. She gets carried away, gets up from her chair, goes to meet him and dies. She had stopped being just an observer.
The Yogi is an observer. He sees others carrying on, acting – reacting and suffering. He just sees, unconcerned. He is just an observer. We can’t remain like that. We enjoy the drama of actions – reactions. For us there is no sense just in experiencing peace.
This quality of being an observer, being aware and not getting involved is considered as the highest in Yoga. Awareness about things is primary, carrying out actions is secondary. We don’t catch the source, the presence, because, we are too involved in things emanating and actions. Involvement with material things has its disadvantages; we can get involved and get carried away from the source. Even a little involvement leads on and on. Man happily living in a jungle is given a cow. Looking after the cow, fear of wild animals keeps haunting him and he gets so busy that he loses his peace. Even slightest involvement with the material things robs us of peace and quiet. When we suffer, we want to give up involvements and be interested in the spirit. But after a short while we again get busy. That thorough understanding and detachment never comes.
The Yogi enjoys the experience of whatever we consider as the highest. We don’t attain it because we can’t remain neutral to whatever is happening around us.
Published in the Oct 2010 edition of Yoga & Total Health Magazine.