The Spirit of Yoga
The subject of todayʼs discourse is “The Spirit of Yoga”.
What is yoga? There are so many interpretations and so many explanations and amplifications regarding yoga. The great philosopher Patanjali says, Yogashcittavrttinirodhah – that is, “Yoga means `suspension of all psychic propensitiesʼ.”
The word yoga comes either from the Sanskrit root yuj plus ghaiṋ suffix – yoga [or from the root verb yuiṋj plus ghaiṋ suffix – yoga].
Where the root verb is yuj, yoga means “addition”. Two plus two is equal to four, this is addition. And when it is said that Yogashcittavrttinirodhah [“Yoga means `suspension of all psychic propensitiesʼ”], what is the addition? So this interpretation – Yogashcittavrttinirodhah – has got nothing to do with the meaning of the word yoga.
The human mind has several propensities. Under normal conditions there are fifty propensities, and each and every propensity has its own vibrational existence. Due to these fifty vibrational existences or expressions, there are fifty letters in the Vedic alphabetical order. From the first letter a to the last letter kśa, there are fifty letters, and they are known as akśamálá. And, because each and every vibrational expression has not only its acoustic value, but also a special colour (each and every sound, each and every vibration, has its own sound and at the same time has its own colour), these fifty letters are not only known as akśamálá, they are also known as varńamálá, that is, they are a collection of varńas or colours. Now, in case of suspension of psychic propensities, there remains no acoustic expression, there remains no expression [[or]] colour or any other inference.
The meaning, or root meaning, of yoga is not only addition; it has a subtler meaning too, and that meaning [occurs when the derivation is] the root verb yuiṋj plus ghaiṋ (not yuj but yuiṋj). In that case the meaning is not “addition” but “unification”.
[But] we see that as per the interpretation Yogashcittavrttinirodhah there is neither addition nor unification. Cittavrttinirodha means “suspension of mental propensities”, that is, fifty propensities under normal conditions and one thousand propensities under abnormal conditions. If all these propensities are suspended, what happens? There remains no universe of acoustics, and no universe of colour or any other inference. And not only that, due to the absence of propensities, the desire, the longing, to become one with something also vanishes. So this meaning is not acceptable to us. Yogashcittavrttinirodhah is a defective explanation or interpretation of yoga. A spiritual aspirant cannot accept such an interpretation.
Now some of the [[Rája Yogiis]] say that yoga is not cittavrttinirodhah, but rather it is Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate. Cinta means “thought-wave”[, so in full this means] “Where there is no thought wave, that is, where there is no flow in the mind, the mind becomes movementless, the mind remains in a stage of composure.” That stage of nishcinta is known as yoga. Here also the word yoga [if so defined] has nothing to do with addition or unification. And Sarvacintá parityágo nishcinto is not the dharma of the mind. In this expressed universe, in this universal manifestation, everything moves. The mind also moves. The mind depends on three fundamental relative factors – — time, space, and person. So movement is its first wont.
So when movement is its wont, how can it be flowless? Even in the expressed form of Parama Puruśa, that is, Saguńa Brahma, that is, [qualified] Purusa, there is movement, there is flow, there is the flow of love and compassion. So when there is the flow of love and compassion even in the mind of Parama Puruśa, how can there be a flowless mind in the microcosm? So the idea is basically defective. One may, due to disease or senselessness, be thoughtless for a short period, but that is not something natural. It is a sort of disease. While sleeping without dreaming, your mind is not associated with any internal projection. But is [this] yoga? Certainly not. And it is said that because of this Cosmic flow of love and compassion for the entire creation, Parama Puruśa is rasa personified, that is, “flow personified”. The eternal flow personified is rasa. Rasah vae sah –— “He is flow personified.” And thatʼs why we say that His movement of love and compassion for all created beings is the rasasyamúlam, the rasaságara, and every living entity, every animate and inanimate entity, is dancing according to the flow of that rasa, according to the vibrational expression of that rasa. And it is the rásaliilá of Bhagaván. So how can there be nishcintah in the human mind? So this explanation of yoga by those yogis is also fundamentally,(1) rudimentally, defective. A spiritual aspirant cannot accept it. Now let us see what the explanation of yoga by spiritual aspirants is. [[Who are known as spiritual aspirants? [Bhaktas.]]] What do the devotees, the bhaktas say?
As per the code of the bhaktas, yoga means Saḿyogo yoga ityukto jiivátma-Paramátmanoh – “The unification of jiivátmá, that is, unit consciousness, with Paramátmá, the Supreme Puruśa, is yoga.” If you take the meaning of yoga as derived from the root verb yuj, that is, “addition”, the purpose is [adequately] served. The unit becomes one with the Cosmic. And if the meaning of yuiṋj is accepted [i.e., “unification”], the explanation is still more correct, because when the aspirant becomes one with the Supreme, there remains no separate entity of the unit —– that is, it is fully unified, just like sugar and water making sharbat.
So the explanation of yoga by the devotees, by the bhakti márgiis, is correct. And the explanations by the Seshvara Sáḿkhya [Theistic Sáḿkhya, that is, the Patanjali school] and by the [[Rája Yogiis]] are defective. Both are defective. When yoga means “addition” or “unification” there must be two entities – the devotee and his Lord. In the first two explanations there remains not even a single entity. That is, regarding unification of whom, by whom, with whom, there is no clear explanation, no clear [a word here is inaudible on the tape]. Now we come to the conclusion that for the proper interpretation of yoga, two fundamental entities are necessary –— the bhakta and Bhagaván. A yogi can never remain without his Lord. All the propensities, psychic propensities, of a yogi must not be suspended; rather all his propensities must be goaded unto the Lord. So here there is no question of suspension, but the question of proper diversion. Flow must be there and he should enjoy the divine flow of rasa. A yogi cannot, can never be, nástika [atheist], he must be ástika [theist]. A nástika cannot be a yogi; simply practising a few asanas will not make a man a yogi. Yoga means all the propensities moving towards the Supreme entity, that is, in the physical stratum, in the psychic stratum and in the spiritual stratum. In all the strata the only goal of his life, only culminating point of all his marches, is that Supreme Entity. And when He comes in close contact with the Supreme, he becomes unified with the Supreme, and there the spirit of yoga is fully established. For the yogi, his desideratum, his point, terminating point, is his Iśt́a, and he moves towards the Iśt́a along the path of dharma.
What is dharma? Dhriyate dharma ityáhuh sa eva paramaḿprabhuh – The wont, the controlling qualifications or attributions that an entity must possess, are dharma. Dharma controls all the expressions of human life; that which controls all the expressions of life, all the expressions of entitative waves, is dharma. And for the proper movement of entitative flows, the proper movement of entitative expressions, there must be a parallelism with incantative expression. The existential movement must get its stamina from the incantative existence. And there cannot be any incantative stamina or incantative vitality if there is no object, no intra-psychic goal, that is, if there is no Iśt́a. Iśt́a means the object whom you love most, whom you want most. And because of this Iśt́a there is a flow in your incantative body or incantative structure, the existential incantation – only under such circumstances can you maintain parallelism with your entitative existence. So Iśt́a is a must for movement, Iśt́a is a must for all sorts of development in all the strata of life. Not even in a single arena of life can you do anything concrete without the help of your Iśt́a. So wherever there is dharma, there must be Iśt́a. And Iśt́a is the primordial necessity for yoga. Nobody can remain, can live, can exist, without the help of Iśt́a. And the aspirant is a finite entity, but the Iśt́a of that aspirant is an Infinite Entity. And when due to yoga this finite aspirant comes in contact with that infinite Iśt́a, he acquires infinite strength, he acquires infinite psycho-spiritual stamina, he becomes victorious in all the arenas of his existence. So wise people, yogis, should realize clearly and definitely that their entitative existence along with the incantative flow, is to move forward towards the Supreme goal, which is their Iśt́a. And the yogi should know the Iśt́a; the yogi should use a singular name for the Iśt́a and not two names or three names. Wherever the Iśt́a is in singularity in name and form and idea and ideation, and also in ideology, success is sure, success is fully assured.
There is a little story in this regard. Once upon a time some devotees said to Hanuman, “Hanuman, you are a great devotee and you are a learned scholar also, and you know that ”Náráyańa“ means ”Shriinátha“, ”Shriinátha“ means ”Náráyańa“. (Shrii means Lakśmii, [so ”Shriinátha“, ”Lord of Lakśmii“, means Náráyańa.]) Náráyańa and Jánakiinátha, that is, Rama, are the same, the same entity; but you, Hanuman, you always take the name of Rama and never take the name of Náráyańa. Why?”
Hanuman said:
Tathápi mama sarvasvah Rámah kamalalocanah.
You know, fundamentally or rudimentally there remains no difference between Náráyáńa and Ráma. Nára means Prakrti, ayana means “shelter”. Náráyańa means “Shelter of Prakrti”, that is, Cosmic Puruśa; and “Ráma” is derived ram + ghaiṋ = Ráma, that is, “the most attractive entity in the entire cosmos” – which is also Parama Puruśa. So “I also know”, said Hanuman, “that there is no rudimental difference between Rama and [Náráyańa], but you know my goal is a singular entity – singular in name, singular in idea and ideology and ideation. So Rama is my everything, I donʼt know any Náráyańa.”
You are spiritual aspirants, hence you are yogis, and you should know that the only interpretation of yoga is Saḿyogo yoga ityukto jiivátma-Paramátmanah. All other explanations are baseless. And you should also remember that your movement towards your Iśt́a is your yogic practice, and your unification with your Iśt́a is your yogic goal, is the final desideratum of all the flows of all your psychic propensities. The question of suspension of psychic propensities does not arise.
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