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By subhash, on March 17th, 2012%
Guest post by Kailasam Iyer
From the beginning:
About thirteen and a half billion years ago, something went “pop” and time began in the sense things started to happen. Our best guess about the antecedent to the “pop” is that since, to our knowledge, it had not had any effect on what happened after, it might as well NOT have happened. Galaxies , stars, and planets happened. Our own sun coalesced to start spewing out energy and matter for our earth and sister planets to form. Four and a half billion years ago, earth attained a solidity and identity. The evolution continues to this day.
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By subhash, on March 17th, 2012%
द्रष्टृदृश्ययोः संयोगो हेयहेतुः॥१७॥
draShTRudRushyoH saMyogo heyahetuH
draShTRu= (of) Seer; dRushyoH=(and) Seen; saMyogaH=union, association; heya=that which is to be avoided; hetuH=cause;
Taimni
"The cause of that which is to be avoided is the union of the Seer and the Seen."
To uproot anything, we must get down to the root cause and eliminate that cause. In the case of suffering, Patanjali states in this sutra that the root cause is the union between Purusha and Prakriti. It has already been mentioned that Avidya gives rise to Asmita which is the tendency of pure consciousness (Purusha) to identify itself with its vehicles (Prakriti). This problem is linked to the origin of the universe wherein the consciousness got entangled with elements of Prakriti. This problem cannot be understood or analyzed by our limited intellect.
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By subhash, on March 6th, 2012%
हेयं दुःखमनागतम्॥१६॥
heyaM duHkhamanaagatam
heyaM=to be avoided; duHkham=misery; anaagatam=not yet come (future);
Taimni
"The misery which is not yet come can and is to be avoided."
Can this misery which is inherent in human life (sutra 2.15) be avoided? An orthodox religious person may believe that all sorrows and suffering will get compensated in the life after death. They take suffering for granted and are thankful for the little pleasures in life but continue to bear the pain in life. They might just say "lead a good life now and hope for happiness after death". According to the yogis, death doesn’t solve your problem any more than night fall solves your financial problems.
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By subhash, on February 28th, 2012%
परिणामतापसंस्कारदुःखैर्गुणवृत्तिविरोधाच्च दुःखमेव सर्वं विवेकिनः॥१५॥
pariNaamataapasaMskaaraduHkhairguNavRuttivirodhaachcha duHkhameva sarvaM vivekinaH
pariNaama=change; taapa=acute anxiety, suffering; saMskaara=impression; duHkhair=pains; guNa=between the three gunas; vRutti=modification of the mind; virodhaat=on account of opposition or conflict; cha=and; duHkham=pain; eva=only; sarvaM= all; vivekinaH=to the enlightened;
Taimni
" To the people who have developed discrimination all is misery on account of the pains resulting from change, anxiety and tendencies, as also on account of the conflicts between the functioning of the Gunas and the Vrttis (of the mind)."
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By subhash, on January 30th, 2012%
ते ह्लादपरितापफलाः पुण्यापुण्यहेतुत्वात्॥१४॥
te hlaadaparitaapaphalaaH puNyaapuNyahetutvaat
te=they; hlaada=joy; paritaapa=sorrow; phalaaH=fruit; puNya=merrit; apuNya=demerit, sin; hetutvaat=being caused by, on account of
Taimni
" They have joy or sorrow for their fruit according as their cause is virtue or vice."
Pleasurable or painful experiences are based on whether the thoughts, feelings or actions that produce them were "virtuous" or "vicious". This is the basis law of karma. Virtuous deeds are those that follow the univeral Moral Code.
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By subhash, on September 25th, 2011%
सति मूले तद्विपाको जात्यायुर्भोगाः॥१३॥
sati mUle tadvipaako jaatyaayurbhogaaH
sati mUle=there being the root; tad=it (karmashaya); vipaa
=ripening; jaati=class; aayuH=span of life; bhogaaH=experiences
Taimni
“As long as the root is there it must ripen and result in lives of
different class, length and experience.”
As long as kleshas exist, samskaras in the karmashaya will continue
to ripen and bring about fruit in the form of future births. These
births will be governed by three characteristics – jati (class), aayu (span of
life), and bhoga (experiences – pleasant or unpleasant). ‘Jati’ will
determine the type of life one will have . For example, one could be
born in a poor slum area or in a posh, affluent family. Span of life
will determine the total number of experiences during the life. Death
during childhood, for example, will obviously result in few life
experiences. Under ‘bhoga’ we consider the nature of experiences -
pleasant or painful. The ‘bhoga’ does not necessarily depend upon
‘jati’ or ‘ayuH’. A person born into a very poor family could still
attain happiness and satisfaction in life.
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By subhash, on July 21st, 2011%
Sutra 2.12
क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीयः॥१२॥
kleshamUlaH karmaashayo dRushtaadRushtajanmavedanIyaH
kleshamUlaH=rooted in kleshas; karmaashayo=reservoir of karmas; dRushta=seen, present; adRushta=unseen, future; janma=lives; vedanIyaH=to be experienced
Taimni
"The resevoir of Karmas which are rooted in Klesas brings all kinds of experiences in the present and future lives."
Kleshas are the underlying cause of the karmas we generate by our thoughts, desires and actions. We reap the results of the past karmas in the present life while generating new karmas which will bear fruit in this or a future life. All the actions and their results , in fact, all samskaras from this and previous lives are recorded in what Patanjali calls "karmashaya" – the reservoir of karmas.
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By subhash, on July 7th, 2011%
Sutra 2.11
ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तयः॥११॥
dhyaanaheyaastadvRuttayaH
dhyaana=by meditation; heyaaH=(kleshas which are) to be avoided; tadvRuttayaH=their modifications
Taimni
" Their active modifications are to be suppressed by meditation".
Dhyana is given here as the means to reduce kleshas from an active to a passive state. The word ‘dhyana’ has a specific definition as given in the sutras (sutra 3.2). However, in the context of this sutra, it must be understood in a broader, more comprehensive sense. We have seen that kleshas can be attenuated by ‘kriya yoga’ – tapas, swadhyaya, Ishvara-pranidhana. The current sutra states that dhyana can help suppress the modifications produced by kleshas even further. In order to achieve that result, one must practice the three elements of kriya yoga with intense concentration of the mind. Of course, meditation as defined in sutra 3.2 must also be practiced.
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By subhash, on June 23rd, 2011%
Sutra 2.10
ते प्रतिप्रसवहेयाः सूक्ष्माः॥१०॥
te pratiprasavaheyaaH sUkShmaaH
te=these; pratiprasava=return to original state; heyaaH=eliminated; sUkShmaaH=subtle
Taimni
"These, the subtle ones, can be reduced by resolving them backward into their origin."
The kleshas can exist in one of two states, active and potential. A person in a fit of anger is expressing the klesha of dvesha in an active state. Through the practice of yoga a person may acquire the ability to remain calm in difficult situations. Even at that time the kleshas remain in a dormant or potential state where, given the right trigger, the kleshas can again become active. Essentially there are three stages of dealing with the kleshas – attenuation (tanukarana), converting to inactive (prasupta) state, and finally burnt seeds.
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By subhash, on June 13th, 2011%
Sutra 2.9
स्वरसवाही विदुषोऽपि तथारूढो भिनिवेशः॥९॥
svarasavaahii viduSho.pi tathaarUDho.bhiniveshaH
Svarasavaahii=sustained by its own force, flowing on automatically; viduSho.pi= even the learned (or wise); tathaa= in that way; rUDhaH=riding, dominating; abhiniveshaH = great fear of death, strong desire for life
Taimni
"Abhinivesha is strong desire for life which dominates even the learned (or the wise)."
There are two notable points in this sutra:
The first is that the strong desire for life is established even in the learned. One needs to understand the distinction between learned (vidhushaH) – one who is merely intellectually strong, and wise. A person becomes wise only when all the five kleshas have been completely eradicated. For a learned person who has a sharp intellect, on the other hand, the kleshas are still operative.
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