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By subhash, on May 22nd, 2014 Sutra 2.44
स्वाध्यायादिष्टदेवतासंप्रयोगः॥४४॥
svādhyāyād-iṣṭa-devatā saṁprayogaḥ ॥44॥
svaadhyaayaat = from study of scriptures; iShTa = desired, prefeered; devataa = with the deity; saMprayogaH = connection
Sw. Satchidananda
"By study of spiritual books comes communion with one’s chosen deity."
Svadhyaya is the study of scriptures and also practicing our individual sadhana (spiritual pursuit) that we have been initiated into. Through this practice we can get a "darshan" or a vision of our own deity of choice. Every mantra that we chant is usually identified with a deity and through intense sadhana, the deity may appear in human form or in the form of light or a sound.
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By subhash, on May 13th, 2014 कायेन्द्रियसिद्धिरशुद्धिक्षयात्तपसः॥४३॥
kāyendriya-siddhir-aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ ॥43॥
kaaya=the body; indriya=senses; siddhih=perfection; ashuddhi=impurities; kShayaat=from the removal; tapasaH=from austerity
Sw. Satchidananda
"By austerity, impurities of the body and senses are destroyed and occult powers gained"
The literal meaning of tapas is "to burn". By the tapas of fasting, we burn our fat and remove toxins from our body. By mental tapas, we can burn away past impressions (samskaras). By verbal tapas, we control speech. Tapas involves some pain. However, when this pain burns away impurities then we feel joy. Sometimes we can bring happiness to others by a little pain to ourselves.
Even a laundryman puts the cloth through a lot of heat (tapas) to make it clean and pure. He washes in hot water, dries in hot air, irons with hot iron and then only all the dirt is washed away. In the same manner, we need to cleanse our mind of impurities. If someone insults or otherwise hurts us, we should welcome the opportunity as we can develop intense mental calm and purity by not responding negatively. If censure upsets us and praise makes us happy, we are not strong yet.
A mother, for example, goes through painful childbirth and then lot of pain while bringing up the child. However, all this gives her immense joy and she welcomes this pain.
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By subhash, on May 5th, 2014 संतोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः॥४२॥
saṁtoṣāt-anuttamas-sukhalābhaḥ ॥42॥
saMtoshaat = from contentment; anuttama = the highest; sukha = happiness; laabhaH = attainment
Sw. Satchidananda
"By contentment, supreme joy is gained."
We need to understand the difference between contentment and satisfaction. Contentment means neither to like nor dislike whatever we get in life, just be contented. We don’t hanker after outside things for happiness.
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By subhash, on May 5th, 2014 सत्त्वशुद्धिसौमनस्यैकाग्र्येन्द्रियजयात्मदर्शनयोग्यत्वानि च॥४१॥
sattva-śuddhiḥ saumanasya-ikāgry-endriyajaya-ātmadarśana yogyatvāni ca ॥41॥
sattva = sattva guna; shuddhi = purification; soumanasya = cheerfulness; ekaagrya = one-pointedness; indriya = senses; jaya = control; atmadarshana = vision of oneself; yogyatvaani = qualification, fitness; cha = and
Sw. Satchidananda
"Moreover, one gains purity of sattva, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointedness, mastery over the senses, and fitness for Self-realization."
Practicing the purity of thought, word and deed will bring about all the benefits listed in the sutra. Even if you resolve to be pure, celibate and honest just for one day, your benefits will make you repeat the experiment often.
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By subhash, on April 21st, 2014 शौचात् स्वाङ्गजुगुप्सा परैरसंसर्गः॥४०॥
śaucāt svāṅga-jugupsā parairasaṁsargaḥ ॥40॥
shouchaat = from cleanliness; svaanga = one’s body; jugupsaa = distaste; paraiH = with others; asaMsargaH = cessation of union or contact
Sw. Satchidananda
"By purification arises disgust for one’s own body and for contact with other bodies"
When ‘shaucha’ is observed, we realize that our body is impure – breath gives out carbon dioxide, skin discharges perspiration etc. We can make all the efforts to cover external impurities by powder, lotion, perfume etc., but the essential impure nature of the body cannot be changed. The time we spend on artificially beautifying the impure body can be effectively spent on japa and meditation to cleanse the inner body.
When we realize that our own body is impure, how can we feel attracted to another body which is equally impure? Many people misinterpret and misunderstand the Tantric system of yoga to mean purely sexual union for self-realization. Tantra talks about Shiva and Shakti as being the male and female aspects of the same individual. In Hatha Yoga, we talk of Sun and the Moon. In the word Hatha, Ha represents the Sun (solar plexus) and Tha, the moon (base of the spine). In yogic terms it implies the meeting of prana and apana breaths. In the Bhagavad Gita also there are shlokas emphasizing the meeting of these two breaths (shlokas 15.14, 4.29).
Bryant
"By cleanliness, one (develops) distaste for one’s body and the cessation of contact with others."
The yogi reflects on the nature of his own body which remains unclean despite all the external and internal cleaning that one might do. How, then, can one think of intimate contact with another body which may be even more unclean?
There is the story of a king who, becoming thirsty after hunting in the forest, approaches a secluded hermitage in quest for water. He is greeted by a beautiful but spiritually edified young maiden who had been raised as a fully enlightened yogini by the resident sage of the hermitage. Overcome by desire for this beautiful maiden, the king propositions her. Deciding to enlighten the lusty king as to the realities of bodily yearning, the maiden requests him to return within a month, at which time she will allow him to taste the nectar of her beauty. During this period, however, the maiden takes laxatives and purges, and collects all the resulting vomit, urine, feces, and other discharges in earthen pots. When the king returns after the stipulated period, he is greeted by the maiden, now haggard and wasted and a shadow of her previous self. Upon asking her what had become of her beauty, she presents the king with the earthen pots with their rancid contents and indicates that therein lay the juices of her beauty.
No matter how hard one works to present the body as an erotic object – cleaning with soap and water; putting on makeup, cosmetics and attractive clothing; subduing the natural odors with perfume etc., body can still emit embarrassing odors and sounds at the most romantic moments! The yogi begins to see this reality of the body as consisting of obnoxious substances, and ceases to see the body of others with erotic interest. The yogi conveys love for others through compassion, spiritual exchanges, expressions that rise above physical sensuality.
From an ultimate, metaphysical perspective, the yogi sees both feces and fragrance as simply transformations of the three gunas of Prakriti.
Discussion
According to most commentators, this sutra refers to the result of external cleanliness of the body. The next sutra (2.41) refers to the result of internal or mental cleanliness.
How does one practice shaucha?
A brief mention of the techniques for both internal and external cleansing was made during the discussion on sutra 2.32 which defines the five Niyamas.
At the first reading, the word "jugupsa" (disgust) seems rather strong for the human body which is also referred to as the "temple" where the pure soul resides. Moreover, it is mentioned in our scriptures that one can attain liberation only when one takes birth in this human form which automatically entails having the physical body. So, how can such a body be labeled as being "disgustful"?
On a deeper reflection, one begins to realize that Patanjali here is talking about a yogi who is deep on a spiritual path and necessarily has to discard any identification with the physical body. Any such attachment to the physical body can only become an obstruction toward spiritual pursuits. In order to aid in that detachment from the body, Patanjali here discusses how you can develop a distaste for one’s body as you go through a deep cleansing process.
(Commentary by Kailasam Iyer)
YSP II- 40 The cognitive faculty (of a yoga practitioner) develops a disgust for the organic part of life through the cleansing of mind and avoids association with others ( of unlike minds).
These are strong words to describe a pursuit. There is no soft-pedalling this sutra and its intent. Misunderstanding can be avoided only by keeping the context in view while we navigate through the meaning. Ashtanga Yoga is a progressive methodology for cultivating sustained discrimination of intellect for the purpose of eliminating all differentiations of the Being, perceiving the Being as the ( last) sole impression in the mind, and then losing that impression as well to be in a state of nischalanam or absence of disturbance. In the Sankhya system of evolutes, mind receives sensory information, recalls from memory, and processes the composite to facilitate the ego to develop a subjective awareness of experience. A trained sathvic aspect of Buddhi can see through this mire and can display the Being as unmixed with life’s struggles. Recognition of this purity changes forever the outlook of the sadhaka.
Mind is where everything happens and for the Being to be perceptible in it the mind has to be in a state of cleanliness. Experience can EITHER be enjoyed by the body OR be contemplated upon in the mind for release from attachment ( YSP II- 18). The competition between the two in a philosophical sense is clear. Cleansing the mind by a rigorous, sustained practice of yamas ( YSP II- 35 to 39) increases the fervor to keep the body and its desires at bay to avoid further contamination. The spirit wants to soar but the body weighs it down.
Colin McGinn, an analytical philosopher , has examined the emotion of disgust to probe the content of that emotion. My summary of his treatment is that Consciousness has nothing inside itself to indicate its own mortality and when it discovers the mortality of the body which supports consciousness, it feels betrayed and is disgusted by the body.
I am sure there are other ways of understanding this very strong statement by Patanjali; but, the understanding becomes vivid in one’s mind ONLY upon meditation over an actual experience in the manner recommended by YSP in II-19 by taking experience through the four hierarchical stages of the model of the evolutes repeatedly until it becomes a habit.
The desire for dissociation from unlike minds is a logical next step. Once the determination is made to pursue a path of enlightenment in a particular way, other minds which offer alternatives, arguments, temptations, etc., are impediments on one’s path. The interactions necessary for existence in day-to-day world are obstacles to an ascetic. Lord Krishna ( Vyasa ) uses the words arathihi ( distaste) and janasansadhi ( mixing with people) in BG XIII-10 in the same context. The quest is private and lonely. Einstein recognized the need for aloneness in times of concentration. Please see attachment.
Disgust for bodily needs and separation from crowds are external manifestations of an ascetic life. The next sutra describes the steady, slow, progressive changes which gradually develop internally in the mind of an ascetic.
By subhash, on January 16th, 2014 अपरिग्रहस्थैर्ये जन्मकथंतासंबोधः॥३९॥
aparigraha-sthairye janma-kathaṁtā saṁbodhaḥ ॥39॥
aparigraha=non-covetousness; sthairye=constancy; janmakathaMtaa=how and why of birth; saMbodhaH=knowledge, thorough illumination
Sw. Satchidananda
"When non-greed is confirmed, a thorough illumination of the how and why of one’s birth comes".
Aparigraha is abstention from greed or hoarding, or not receiving gifts. Accepting gifts may bind us and make us lose our neutrality. We may feel obligated to return the offer one day. The gift giver may also have expectations of something in return. We want to be free of any mental binding whether we are the gift giver or the gift receiver.
When the mind is calm and clear and free of desires and obligations, we gain capacity to see how our desires caused our present birth.
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By subhash, on January 10th, 2014 ब्रह्मचर्यप्रतिष्ठायां वीर्यलाभः॥३८॥
brahma-carya pratiṣṭhāyāṁ vīrya-lābhaḥ ॥38॥
brahmacharya=celibacy; pratiShThaayaaM=on the establishment of; vIrya=potency, power; aabhaH=the gain
Sw. Satchidananda
"By one established in continence, vigor is gained."
By getting established in celibacy, we gain vital energy. Preserving seminal fluid gives strength and stamina to the brain and the nerves. When absorbed in the system, it is transformed into prana which is the vital life force.
It is OK to have sex with the appropriate life partner but only in moderation. In the Hindu system four stages of life have been prescribed: brahmacharya (celibacy), grihastha (family life), vanaprastha (literally, living in a forest), sanyasa (total renunciation). In the first stage, brahmacharya, a person leads the life of a student as a celibate. After finishing the studies, he enters the married life of a grihastha. Having fulfilled the obligations to children and the society, both husband and wife follow spiritual pursuits. In sanyasa, a person completely renounces all worldly belongings and becomes a mendicant.
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By subhash, on January 7th, 2014 अस्तेयप्रतिष्ठायां सर्वरत्नोपस्थानम्॥३७॥
asteya-pratiṣṭhāyāṁ sarvaratn-opasthānam ॥37॥
asteya=refrainment from stealing; pratiShThaayaaM=upon the establishment of; sarva=all; ratna=jewels; upasthaanam=approach, come into the presence of
Sw. Satchidananda
"To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes."
By practicing non-stealing, all riches can come to us. Most of us are thieves in some way. Even the air we breathe is stolen from nature, unless we can give something back to the nature. We steal because of greed. We steal precious office time by making personal phone calls, appointments; we steal by taking supplies from work, stealing other’s ideas etc. Another example of stealing is when we don’t allow other people to use things that we own but are not able to make use of.
The government steals the health and happiness of many when they decide to spend money on space missions, money that could otherwise be used to build hospitals and other amenities for common people. Most of these government actions are based on fear, pride and competition; they are not based on common humanitarian grounds.
Bryant
"When one is established in refrainment from stealing, all jewels manifest."
Vyasa only says that for one who follows the yama of asteya, jewels come to him from all directions. Such a yogi radiates the glow of detachment and indifference. Other people find such a person trustworthy and with integrity. That encourages people to bestow their valued items to such a yogi knowing that they will be put to the best use in selfless services. The word ‘ratna’ (jewel) may also imply the best of every class of things, including best of noble-hearted people. Thus, the yogi established in true honesty attracts not only the best of material things but also the best of noble people.
Discussion
(Commentary by Kailasam Iyer)
YSP II-37 Best of everything presents itself to one with a non-stealing state of mind.
Not wanting to take something that belongs to somebody else because of fear of retribution or punishment by law is a trivial case of the non-stealing attitude. Established in spiritual pursuit, the yoga practitioner strives to root out desire for ownership. The practitioner voluntarily gives up any claim for anything. Hariharananda elaborates on Vyasa by describing the aura observable in someone who doesn’t need anything. Then, in that state of mind, he has everything or he is indifferent to anything. Think of a Buddha Bikkhu.
How do we “translate” this for a life in the modern world? Most of us are not likely to take anything from anybody without permission. So, a contented mind is a continuous feast. I think we need to go a little deeper.
Our tradition and philosophy exhort us to meditate on a sense of propriety. What is proper? What DOES belong to us? We answer this easily and strongly by thinking of what really belongs to others – their rights – and not infringing on them. “Do unto others as you would have them do for you.” When we make others wait for us we steal their time. When we ignore somebody we steal their dignity. When we don’t speak up for fair wage practices we encourage exploitation. When we steal limelight away from others we hurt their pride. When we get paid and not do a day’s work we shortchange our employers. How many of us have not come across somebody who, after jabbering on and on about oneself to an acquaintance, asks “Enough about me, let’s talk about you; what do you think of me?”. All I am saying is stealing is ubiquitous. Be mindful of it.
Lea Peace posted the attachment on Facebook recently in a different context. I read into it a meaning for this sutra. I invite you to consider.
By subhash, on January 4th, 2014 सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम्॥३६॥
satya-pratiṣthāyaṁ kriyā-phala-āśrayatvam ॥36॥
satya=truth; pratiShThaayaaM=upon establishment of; kriyaa=activity, work; phala=fruit; aashrayatvam=the nature of being a support or base
Sw. Satchidananda
"To one established in truthfulness, actions and their results become subservient."
When a yogi is totally established in truth, whatever he says will come true – whether it be a curse or a blessing. Through honesty, a state of fearlessness comes. Yogi’s life becomes an open book.
If being honest we expect that someone may get hurt, then we should keep quiet, without telling the truth or a lie.
Bryant
"When one is established in truthfulness, one ensures the fruition of action."
The words of a truthful person always are infallible as they always bring fruit. If the yogi says to someone, "be virtuous" (of course, the person should be deserving), then the person will become virtuous. The power of truth can sway the mind of the listener to act according to the yogi’s words. The yogi established in truth does not exploit and is fit to become the guru of a deserving disciple. Another interpretation of the sutra is that a truthful yogi has control over actions and over the fruits they bear in future births.
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By subhash, on January 3rd, 2014 अहिंसाप्रतिष्ठायां तत्सन्निधौ वैरत्यागः॥३५॥
ahiṁsā-pratiṣṭhāyaṁ tat-sannidhau vairatyāghaḥ ॥35॥
ahiMsaa=nonviolence; pratiShThaayaaM=upon the establishment; tat=that; sannidhou=in the presence; vaira=enmity; tyaagaH=giving up of
Sw. Satchidananda
"In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease."
When a person is fully established in ahimsa in word, action and thought, he emits harmonious vibrations. Other people in the vicinity also give up their harmful tendencies. In the ancient times, sages, firmly following ahimsa, would live in the forest harmoniously with wild animals. Even a cow and a tiger would live peacefully together in their presence. Some known famous people who followed and advocated ahimsa are Mahatma Gandhi, St Francis and Gautam Buddha.
Bryant
"In the presence of one who is established in nonviolence, enmity is abandoned."
One who is established in nonviolence can influence the minds of others and make them also ‘sattvic’ such that they don’t display violent behavior prompted by ‘rajasic’ or ‘tamasic’ thoughts. Even natural enemies such as cat and mouse or mongoose and snake give up mutual enmity in the presence of a yogi who has given up violence. In an episode from the life mystic Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he caused the deer and tigers to dance together while he recited the holy name of Krishna.
Discussion
I am reminded of a scene in a movie depicting the life of the great eighteenth century saint of India, Swaminaryana. At the young age of 11, Nilakantha (who later became Swaminarayana) sets off barefoot in search of truth and spreading the message of peace. When he arrives in one of the villages on his journey, the local priest and the villagers urge him to spend the night indoors. They told him that a ferocious lion comes to the village at night and eats away any human or animal that he finds outside. Nilakantha, who was obviously established in ahimsa, was totally fearless and insisted on spending the night under a tree, rather than going inside a house or the temple. As expected, the lion came at night and moved dangerously toward the young boy. However, on nearing the boy, he suddenly became calm and spent the night sitting at the feet of the boy. In the morning he just left the village quietly. The villagers, on finding out what had happened, realized that this young boy was no ordinary child but a great mystic soul.
(Commentary by Kailasam Iyer)
YSP II-35 Enmity is sacrificed in the presence of non-violence.
This is the beginning in the YSP, after a long philosophical treatment, of putting the teachings in practice and what can be expected. It’s to our advantage to briefly recapitulate three concepts. Bryant equates Samskaras (1) to the activators of thoughts in our minds. Subhash has talked and written about the mind/body/spirit complex (2) in us. Sankhya philosophy describes the cycle (3) as follows: Sense organs bring information to the mind field. The mind supplies information from “memory” to the mix. Tanmatras interpret the mixture for the I-sense and project an image of the Universe. The action organs deal with the Universe according to the projected image. The discrepancy between the image and the actual is fed back to the processing field and on and on. The escape from this cycle and perception of the “actual” are facilitated by dissolving the interpretation part which makes living difficult, to say the least. A better approach is to totally immerse the mind in Satva which releases the SPIRIT. Ahimsa is integral to Satva.
Ahimsa is a mind/body intentionality which triumphs over bad samskaras; not made once and forgotten thereafter but constantly and vigilantly practiced. Ahimsa in practice makes fear disappear and that’s the key.
The Sanskrit words in this sutra were all in common colloquial usage in Tamil Nadu when I was growing up. Prathishtai and Sannidhi have divine and devotional connotations. Ahimsa and Thyag are words Mahatma Gandhi made clear to everybody in his time by example. Giving up self interest is implicit in Thyag. On holy days, the puja in the house begins by the making and “establishment” of an idol, invoking the spirit, and worshipping it. When a temple is built an idol is “established” in it to make the building a temple. In front of the “established” idol is the sannidhi where the devotee is granted dharshanam by the grace of God.
Ahimsa as an idol established in the mind is an intentionality guiding the action organs in their dealings with the environment. While that idol is in command enmity is sacrificed even to the detriment of one’s own body sometimes. In the language of WWJD ( What Would Jesus Do), turn the other cheek; talk about prathipakshabhavanam!
If one considers all the different ways in which the action organs can affect the environment ( beings and spaces), one gets a fair idea of the determination it takes to not do so adversely. The mind is an organ with dual capacity; it receives signals and it supplies thoughts and memories to the mindfield.
Vyasa, in his commentary, deals with three concepts in one elegant sentence. 1) Practice of ahimsa prevents unrighteousness from happening. 2) “Wealth” is created in Yogis. 3) The indication of the attainment of this “wealth” ( Siddhisuchakam) is the absence of enmity in Yogi’s mind. Beings who come close to him become loving and benevolent. Some commentators went on a curious journey of how tigers and poisonous snakes become benign. I will stick to people, aggressive people who become benign in this presence. I submit that this does not happen instantly. It takes a very long time and many trials and tribulations. Public opinion of a sense of human decency forces the aggressor to ameliorate his ways. In many instances it doesn’t happen at all ( Churchill and Gandhi or J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King Jr.). But that’s not Vyasa’s point in my opinion. The transformation is in the mind of the practioner. The benignity is noticeable in the I-sense towards the personhood. Absolute ahimsa frees the mind and engages the environment with absolute openness. The picture in the attachment is an ideal. Lamb as a Yogi is fearless; lion as a Yogi is gentle.
Many commentators have made much of not eating meat as part of ahimsa. I wish to stay out of this line of thinking. I know many meat eaters who are symbols of kindness and compassion. I also know many pure vegetarians who will cut your throat for a nickel.
I leave you with Isaiah XI 6-9.
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