YOGA PHILOSOPHY
- Yogasutra:
Codefied by Patanjali
Mistaken for being authored by Patanjali, but they existed before his
time
YogaSutras define everything that KYM does
Patanjali: “Pat” = to fall, “Anjali”= Anjali mudra; depicts Patanjali’s
descent to help those praying in Anjali Mudra
Meaning of Prayer to Patanjali: Thanks Patanjali for removing impurities
of mind, speech, and body by composing texts on yoga, grammar, and
medicine
Yogasutras are part of Shat Darshans (6 darshans); 6 schools of
philosophy
4 chapters of Yogasutra (195 verses):
o Samadhi Pada (51 verses):
For those who need less guidance on the path; for
practitioners with a calm mind;
How to reach Yoga?
What are effects of Yoga?
Abhyasam/practice
Vairaghya/detachmemt
Eeshwara/God
Obstacles and how to overcome them
Levels of samadhi
o Sadhama Pada (55 verses):
Practice for beginners
Several tools outlined
Reason to work on mind
Ashtanga Yoga
Concept of sould and mind
Cause of Dukha
o Vibhuti Pada (55 verses):
Mystical powers from yoga
Warns of these powers being milestones not destination
o Kaivalya Pada (34 verses):
The chapter on transformation
Importance of a Guru
Debate and rebuttal on Buddhism
Explanation on samadhi
- Ultimate goal of all yogic texts How to get out of suffering
Reaching state of liberation
First understanding what liberation is
Then understand what suffering is
Find a guru to help practice and reach destination
- "duḥkha": “duḥ” = constriction; “kha”= space; constriction in heart space
- 6 defining Qualities of a Sutra: sutra is a concise form of literature
Alpaksharam: brevity; economy of words, precise choice of intelligent
words
Asandigdham: Clarity; unambiguous, and straight to the point
Saravat: Full of essential meaning
Visvatomukham: no discrimination, all encompassing; universally
applicable
Astobhyam: ability to be used as is; “asti” means as it is
Anavadyam: spoken with dignity; irreproachable; no derogatory words
used
- Chapter 1 Verse 1: atha yoganusasanam
o Atha = here and now; an unwritten pact between student and
teacher to be present here and now
Ability of teacher to adjust to level of student’s
understanding
Student foregoes their ego, and becomes an empty vessel
Sage Vyasa says it represents something auspicious
(Mangalam)
Represents adhikara
o Yoga = subject matter to be studied; Root from the word yuj, to
yoke, to bring together
Yuj = samadhi, yuj samadhou; bringing mind and object of
meditation together in one space with balance merging
of two things
Defines yoga as a state of samadhi
o Anusasanam= discourse or set of instructions
- Pratigya: A commitment or a conscious decision to dedicate oneself to
a particular practice, goal, or principle
- Sage Vyasa: First commentator for Yoga Sutra
- Praramba: A positive state of mind; a positive beginning
- Yoga: Root from the word yuj, to yoke, to bring together
o Yuj = samadhi, yuj samadhou; bringing mind and object of
meditation together in one space with balance merging of two
things
- Amarakosa synonyms:
o Sannahanam: protection
o Sanghat: intense connection
o Yukti: intuition, intelligent way of doing things
o Dhyanam: meditation is yoga
o Upayam: tools for taming mind
“Atha Yoganusasanam”:
- Anusasanam meaning: following, receiving instructions, discourse.
o “Anu” is to follow a prampara.
- This Yoga Sutra depicts that even Patanjali himself is following
another’s instructions, and that he in fact is not the author but the
commentator/compiler
- “Anusasanam” refers to the teacher coming to the level of the student
to make the knowledge accessible.
- “Here begins the authoritative text on yoga” – commentary by TKV
Desikachar
- A sacred vow between two people who are committed to learn
Two ways of experiencing texts:
- Anubhava Shastra
o Has to be experienced personally and cannot be just learned in
theory, study
- Jignana Shastra
o Doesn’t require practice
o Requires reading, reflecting, under a teacher
o Based on mental study
o Intellect is obtained after understanding it
“Yogah – cittavrittinirodhah”
- 3 Gunas that are the characteristics of a human being:
o Sattva = luminosity, bright light of the mind
o Rajas = Moving, action
o Tamas = static, dullness, Inertia
o All three are needed, but aim to increase Sattva/Rajas
- “Yogah” = meaning union
- “citta” = “mind”, or “mindfield” ; take the analogy of a battlefield
where some parts are extremely gruesome whereas the others can be
dull. Mindfield is similar.
- “Vritti” = activities, fluctuation, wave, impulses, modification.
- “Nirodhah” = control, regulation, restriction, channeling, stilling,
quietening, mastery, cessation. (In this particular order); From
regulation cessation
- Vyasa’s commentary on mindfield | “Chitta Bhumi”:
o Ksipta (m): restless mind, monkey mind; even when the mind is
still it finds something to pull at. Highly restless, highly disturbed.
o Mudha (m): a dull mind, stubborn, filled with heaviness,
obsession, lazy, fatigue
o Viksipta (m): moments of clarity, and then moments of
distraction, like a pendulum that oscillates. Usually those that are
here are ready for yoga.
o Ekagrata (m): One-pointedness, not getting distracted. One
thought at a time
o Nirodha (m): completely enveloped with focus. Same Nirodhah in
YS I.2; we are becoming one with atman.
o Mind can fall just as easily as it can grow
How do we perceive?
- Analysis of diagram:
o Manas: First landing point of any information; identify
encode, store. Impulsive decisions made here because it is
close to the sense organs.
o Ahamkara: Appropriates information from Manas and adds
Identity. I, my, mine. The identity we are dealing with and
its entitlement.
o Buddhi: Takes info from ahamkara and tries to take on
intelligent decision. Able to differentiate what is needed to
be done.
- Our experiences shape our mind
- Previous experience can influence our minds
- Change how we experience life
- Ideally decisions to be taken from space of buddhi, not
ahamkara, or manas.
- Decisions from Buddhi are reflective as it is closest to cit. This is
the objective.
- Buddhi gets the maximum light from the atma.
- Nirodhah: a pre-dominance of sattva.
- Bhagvad Gita II.48: “samatvaṁ yoga uchyate”, The practice of
yoga is said to bring a state of equanimity, where both sukha and
dukkha do not affect the mind.
- Bhagvad Gita II.50: “karmasu kauśhalam,” when you practice
yoga, all of our actions are very well done. The actions come from
buddhi.
