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Most of us do not know the real meaning of Yoga. It is not just the flexibility postures and breathing techniques. Yoga, in its essence, is a complete philosophy that shows us the way to attain Liberation or Kaivalya. The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ which translates to union or conjoinment.
Meaning Of Yoga
But the Yoga Sūtra first written by Patañjali lays out a comprehensive meaning of the word detailed in four chapters and verses.
The four chapters or Pādas of Yoga Sūtra are:
- Samādhi pāda (Meditation)
- Sādhana pāda (Practice of mediation)
- Vibhūti pāda (Accomplishments)
- Kaivalya pāda (Liberation)
The first sūtra of the Samādhi Pāda of Yoga Sútra defined Yoga as the elimination of all mental modification. Modification here refers to all the momentary distractions that enter our mind like ripples in a lake. Only when these ripples are completely stopped that we can achieve the state of calm and see ourselves clearly.
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ||
yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ
The cessation of mental modification is yoga.
Thus Yoga can be defined as citta vṛtti nirodhaḥ (the elimination or nirodha of the vṛttis or modification of our citta). It is only when these modifications have stopped that the Yogi can see their own self as it actually is and not in the form of the modifications themselves as it does at other time.
When we are not in this state of yoga, then the mind takes the form off the vṛttis or modifications—such as emotions like anger, hatred, love, like dislike, jealousy and so on. The real nature of our mind becomes covered by a veil of these vṛttis.
Vṛtti (Mental Modification)
Yoga Sūtra distinguishes between 5 kinds of vṛttis—True Knowledge (pramāṇa), Untrue Knowledge (viparyaya), Imagination (vikalpa), Sleep (nidra) and Memory (smṛti). It is of note how even knowledge is treated as a modification of the mind, which keeps us from seeing the real nature of our mind.
This is detailed in the last section of yoga sūtra, where Dharma Megha Samādhi is shown as the means of getting rid of even knowledge in order to gain Kaivalya or liberation. It is a me as to an end, after which it must be discarded too in order to attain the final end. This true knowledge can be acquired by means of Perception, Inference and Verbal Testimony.
अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ||
abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṃ tannirodhaḥ
This sūtra shows us the that the method of stopping these mental modifications is through constant practice (abhyāsa) and dispassion (vairāgya). This detachment from the passions and repulsions (rāga and dveṣa) helps us to get rid of the influence of the three guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas. After we have exercised this dispassion and constant practice, there follows the samprajñāta samādhi which manifests our consciousness in four stages, namely, reasoning, reflection bliss and egoism.
Yoga sútra differentiates between Samprajñāta and Asamprajñāta Samādhi, whereby the latter follows the prolonged meditation of the former. In this state, even the mental content disappears and there remains no scope for modification. For someone who who has a strong and intense desire for Samādhi, it is just at the threshold, and can be achieved instantly with great determination.
A second way of achieving Samādhi is through complete devotion to īśvara or God. In the subsequent sūtras, the nature of īśvara is established as the pre-eminent puruṣa (spirit), the primordial teacher, and the source of all omniscience. The indicator of īśvara is Aum, also called praṇava śabda. The constant practice and recitation of Aum leads to the elimination of all obstacles—such as disease, doubt, dullness, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, delusion, non-concentration and instability—and shows us the path to knowing the inner self.
Kleśa (Afflictions)
The Sādhana pāda begins with an account of Kriya Yoga, the practice of which leads to the reduction of the five afflictions or kleśas. The five afflictions are ignorance, egotism, attachment, aversion and clinging to life.
अविद्यास्मितारागद्वेषाभिनिवेशाः क्लेशाः ॥
avidyāsmitārāgadveṣābhiniveśāḥ kleśāḥ
Ignorance or avidyā is the source of all the four other afflictions. Patañjali describes ignorance not as the lack of knowledge, but the lack of true knowledge of something. For instance—to mistake the non-eternal as eternal, impure as pure, evil as good, and non self as self means to be ignorant of the true nature of these things. We get confused when we think that, for example, things that give pain give pleasure, things that are actually evil are good. These are all illusions we fall under when we fail to see the real nature of things.
From this ignorance emerges Egotism or asmitā, which can be described as when we confuse between dṛg (the power that sees) and darśana (the power of seeing) and think that the two are the same. We get confused between the two. The identification of these two makes us believe that the unchanging immortal self is the constantly changing body.
The third affliction is Rāga or attachment to something that gives us pleasure. Dveṣa or repulsion is that which dwells on pain and because of which we are repulsed to that which is unpleasant.
The last affliction is abhiniveśa or the clinging to life. It is present in all living beings, even in those who are very learned.
Aṣṭāṅga Yoga
योगाङ्गानुष्ठानादशुद्धिक्षये ज्ञानदीप्तिरा विवेकख्यातेः ॥
yogāṅgānuṣṭhānādaśuddhikṣaye jñānadīptirā vivekakhyāteḥ
This is a comprehensive list of the eight yogas, the systematic exercise of which is required for the achievement of the state of Kaivalya. These are Yama, Niyama, Āsana, Pratyāhāra, Prāṇāyāma, Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi.
Yama (Forbearance) is the practice of certain mental and physical disciplines.
Patañjali has prescribed five Yamas, namely—Non violence (ahiṁsā), Truthfulness (satya), Non stealing (asteya), Celibacy (brahmacarya), and Non possession (āparigraha). These must be adhered to regardless of caste, place, time and situation.
Niyama or Observances of self discipline are also five in number and include Purity (śauca), Contentment (saṁtoṣa), Austerity (tapas), Self-study (svādhyāya) and Surrender to God (īśvara praṇidhānāni).
All these help us achieve the aim of yoga. It might happen, sometimes, that while observing the Yama-niyama our mind gets distracted due to negative thought. In this case we must think in the opposite direction and not let such evil and negative thoughts—such as anger, envy, delusion and so on—disturb the peace of our mind.
Āsana or Posture is defined as that which is stable and comfortable. Such a posture, which is stable, convenient and pleasant which be helpful in meditation or otherwise the mind won’t be free from disturbances. This can be mastered by being relaxed and effortless and trying to contemplate on the infinite. After this, the yogi is not plagued by opposing extremes such as joy and sorrow, heat and cold, etc.
The fourth step is Prāṇāyāma or regulation of breath, which has three aspects of pūraka, recaka and kumbhaka. Pūraka is the inspiration or getting in of air through the nostrils. Recaka is the expiration or exhalation of air from inside the lungs. Kumbhaka is the interval between the two wherein breathing is restrained. Through prāṇāyāma the light that is blocked by the veil of ignorance is visible again and we get even closer to the true nature of the self.
Pratyāhāra or Restraint is placed on our senses and stops their interaction with the objects of sensory perception. After this the senses have been mastered and the yogi is no longer controlled by them.
Dhāraṇā or attention is the sixth yoga and it refers to the fixing of one’s mind on a place.
After this follows the unrestrained flow of the mind with respect to the object of contemplation, which is known as Dhyāna.
Samādhi is the last step in the eightfold scheme and it occurs when one’s mind is only focused on the object of cognition and nothing else—not even the personal identity of the yogi.
The last three together are known as Saṁyama and it occurs only when the three—Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi—coincide with only one object. This leads directly to samprajñāta Samādhi. By attaining the mastery over saṁyama, one develops capacity to know beyond the normal worldly things—through the achievement of various Siddhis.
Siddhi (Perfections)
By performing saṁyama on our samskāras or previous life impressions, we can attain the power to know the actions we did in previous births.
Similarly, by performing saṁyama on knowledge of someone else’s mind, we can know their mental contents.
We can become invisible by performing saṁyama on the form of our body and on the connection of the eye and light.
We can control sound by meditating on sound. We can gain the power to make others happy by meditating over amicableness or friendship.
By meditating over our karmas, we can gain knowledge about the time and place of our death.
We can gain strength like an elephant, gain knowledge of the subtle and hidden things, gain awareness of the solar system through saṁyama on the sun, and the knowledge of the stars by saṁyama on the moon.
We can get the awareness if the movement of the stars through the polar star or Dhruvtārā.
Knowledge of the body and its anatomy is gained through the navel, the elimination of such needs as hunger and thirst is attained by saṁyama on the throat.
Likewise, we attain divine vision when we meditate on the light of the head. By performing saṁyama on intellect or pratibhā, we can attain the knowledge of everything. There are several more such perfections that can be attained by saṁyama.
Apart from saṁyama, there are four other means by which these Siddhis can be attained. These are Birth (janma), Herbs (auṣadhi), Mantras, and Austerity (tapas).
Vāsanās (Impressions)
The fourth section—Vibhūti Pāda—of Yoga Sūtra focuses on Vāsanās (or latent impression which are further developed into saṁskāras), Samādhi and Kaivalya.
Vāsanās are latent impressions of the three kinds of karmas—good, bad and neutral—which are then manifested when they get ripened and when the appropriate conditions for their fruition present themselves.
There are several vāsanās that may remain unmanifested for several birth cycles until the appropriate conditions present themselves, even after centuries have passed. It is not possible to know the beginning of these vāsanās, or trace where they first appeared, since they are borne of the will to cling to life.
This clinging is eternal—beginningless and endless—and so are the vāsanās. However, yoga sūtra claims that even though the vāsanās are beginningless, they can still be destroyed. In order to destroy them we first need to destroy ignorance by means of discriminative knowledge. Only then these vāsanās get merged with the present.
Discriminative Knowledge or Khyāti jñana is something that is emphasized in both the Sāṁkhya and the Yoga schools of philosophy, closely allied as they are in their metaphysics. This knowledge of the nature of reality and the of difference between the manifest and the unmanifest, and furthermore between the puruṣa and the prakṛti is what is required in order to move forward in the quest for Kaivalya.
We need to realise that the three guṇas—sattva, rajas and tamas—belong to the prakṛti and not the spirit. Their suffering is not our own suffering and their modifications can be eliminated.
Once the mind has this knowledge, it knows that it is different from the puruṣa and it is different from its modifications. The mind is not the ripples that are caused in the surface because if the three guṇas. After this our mind begins to be inclined towards Kaivalya.
Kaivalya
What is called Mokṣa in Bhagavad Gīta, is called Kaivalya in Sāmkhya-Yoga philosophy. Kaivalya refers to liberation or freedom from the worldly binds that keep us confused about the true nature of the self. In Yoga Philosophy, Kaivalya is characterized by solitude and the establishment of the self in its own nature.
After having attained perfect knowledge, there follows the the next step in the path toward Kaivalya—Dharma Megha Samādhi.
The yogi is completely detached even after having attained discriminative knowledge and then reaches the highest level of Samādhi. Dharma Megha Samādhi means that meditation which is clouded by virtue (dharma), and after reaching this state, there is no illusion or confusion in the mind of the Yogi about the nature of puruṣa and prakṛti as being separate.
Once we have attained this, we are liberated from all afflictions (kleśas) and karmas. Our knowledge is infinite and hereafter there is no need for this knowledge, since everything is already known and the knowable becomes insignificant. Knowledge then, is just another means to and end. It is like a ladder that one needs to reach a higher level and which must be let go of after one has reached it.
In Dharma Megha Samādhi our mind gets cleared of even knowledge. All modifications cease and the guṇas become irrelevant as they have served their purpose. This is the state of Kaivalya or liberation.
There are no ripples in the water now, and the self is known. The Puruṣa abides in its own nature, devoid of any illusions or distortions. It becomes pure consciousness.
This is the Kaivalya—mokṣa or liberation or enlightenment—of Yoga Philosophy, grounded by Patañjali and complied in the Yoga Sūtra.
If you are interested in Classical Indian Philosophy, The Essence Of Vedic Thought With Isha Upanishad-A Quick Summary is a brief introduction to the upanishads with Isha Upanishad.
