We see dualities in our day to day life like success & failure, pleasure & pain, gain & loss, happiness & sorrow etc.. Because of these dualities, our mind gets oscillating continuously. Let us see what Shri Krishna says to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.
योगस्थ: कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय |
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्यो: समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते || (Ch.2/Ver.48)
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ
tyaktvā dhanañjaya
“Be steadfast in the performance of your duty, O Arjuna,
abandoning attachment to success and failure. Such equanimity is called Yoga.”
The equanimity that enables us to accept all circumstances with
serenity is so praiseworthy that Shri Krishna calls it Yoga, or union with the
Supreme. When we understand that the effort is in our hands, not the results,
we then concern ourselves only with doing our duty. If the results are not to
our expectations, we need to calmly accept them as the will of Supreme and
dedicate the results to Him. In this way, if we are able to accept the
dualities and when we learn to embrace both equally, we develop the equanimity
that Shri Krishna talks about and become a ‘Yogi’.
Is
it possible for a common man to have equanimity in these dualities? And, there
is a word called ‘Paramananda’ meaning ‘Eternal bliss’ at which we don’t come
across these dualities at all. However there is no proper translation for this
word, because, this is a state which cannot be defined like dualities. Is it
possible for a common man to attain this state in this very birth? YES. It is
possible. Let us see how and let us start practicing it from today onwards, the
month of which carries “International Day of Yoga” on 21st June.
Each
and every birth is unique in nature. And what is the reason behind this
uniqueness, like taking birth in a rich family or a poor family, taking birth
as a healthy child or with poor health etc.?
There could not be any other reason other than our own Karma (actions)
in the previous births. This karma is of three types, namely, Sanchita Karma, Prarabdha
Karma and Agamya Karma. Sanchita Karma is the bundle of actions that has been
accumulated over many previous births of a person. From that accumulated karma,
a part of karma which fructifies in this very birth is called Prarabhda karma.
It cannot be changed and is already decided. Agamya karma is in our hand in
this birth; that is, how we respond to what happens in our life or exercise our
choice in our action?
One
may ask, ‘Do you mean to say that I have to take those many births to make the
Sanchita karma null? Oh my God ! how many births with these dualities??? Is
there no other way to come out of this birth and death cycle?’ There is a way.
Let us say, I have a pistol with 50 bullets which is nothing but the
accumulated Sanchita Karma. The bullet which is already shot and missed the
target is our Prarabdha Karma till this time. The bullet currently pointed at
the target and yet to be shot is our Agamya karma. If I shot the target
exactly, then the remaining bullets (births) are not needed. Those births will
be nullified. This target is nothing but the state which we call by various
names as ‘Samadhi’ / ‘Eternal bliss’ / ‘Paramananda’ / ‘Becoming one with the
Ultimate’ etc.. How to achieve this?
Here
comes the word ‘YOGA’. The entire creation and its actions are nothing but the
‘play’ of the supreme. HE directs and making us to act on this play. HE is like
the ocean. We are nothing but drops of the ocean. When we dissolve ourselves in
to the ocean, we become the ocean ourselves, after which we don’t have to take
any births. We become one with the director of the play and not the actor
anymore. Now refer to the first paragraph. All dualities happens only because
of the fact that we think that we are separate from other human beings / living
and non-living beings etc.. Suppose if I want to eat Mango, it becomes a second
object other than me. If I by myself become Mango, why should I have the desire
to eat Mango!!! In the same way, if I become ONE with everything, no desires
will originate which is the cause of all dualities, like happiness & sorrow
etc..
Yoga
teaches us the way of life through which we can dissolve ourselves in the
Supreme. The meaning of the word ‘Yoga’ itself is ‘to merge’. What with what?
Jeevatma (Individual) with Paramatma. Our
Rishis have grasped the techniques of merging with ‘Supreme’ through their long
Tapas. But, to their greatness, they have not kept the technique with them
alone. Through their Sishyas, they have spread it to this world and it is
available in our hand today through Guru-Sishya Parambara.
One
of the great such Rishis, Muni Patanjali has given us this ‘Yoga sutra’ to
merge ourselves with the ‘Supreme’. "Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodha" (योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः) is the foundational
second sutra of the Patanjali
Yoga Sutras (1.2), translating to
"Yoga is the inhibition (nirodha) of the modifications (vritti) of the
mind-field (chitta)". It defines yoga not merely as physical postures, but
as the intentional stillness of mental fluctuations to achieve self-realization.
The goal of yoga is to calm the mind's incessant chatter—the
"ripples in the lake"—until it becomes a clear, still surface
reflecting our true, uncolored nature. The aim is not to destroy thought but to
cease identifying with the chaotic, reactive fluctuations, becoming an
objective witness. When vrittis (mental modifications) are controlled,
the practitioner rests in their true self, rather than in the mental
fluctuations.
But,
we have to understand that it is not simply sitting and meditating. There are 8
limbs called Ashtanga Yoga to achieve the final liberation, which is
nothing but the way of life.
1. Yama
: Ethics of behavior. It consists of Ahimsa (Non-violence), Satyagraha
(Truthfulness), Asteya (Non-stealiing), Brahmacharya (Chastity) and Aparigraha
(Non-possession)
2. Niyama
: Observances. It consists of Saucha (Cleanliness, Samtosa (Contentment), Tapas
(Austerity), Svadhyaya (Self-study) and Isvarapranidhana (Surrender to Supreme)
3. Asana
: A physical posture in which one can be steady and comfortable.
4. Pranayama
: Control of Prana (breath). This is done in order to turn the mind towards the
root, because the root where thoughts arise is the same for the breath.
Therefore, if breath stabilizes in its root, the mind also goes to its root and
subsides.
5. Pratyahara
– Withdrawal of the mind from the senses, keeping a single object of
Meditation.
6. Dharana
– Concentration on the object of meditation.
7. Dhyana
– Deep Meditation on the object.
8. Samadhi
– Becoming one with the object of meditation / Supreme after which there are no
births.
All
the above 8 limbs are not one after another. Each and every point has to be
parallelly practiced in our daily day to day life. During these practices, we
will slowly realize that we are achieving the equanimity as told by Shri
Krishna. The day will come where we will shoot the target and make the
remaining bullets (births) nullified.
A.P.Sundar
YB-ET
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