The fire of Yoga burns the cage of sin that is around a man.
Knowledge becomes purified and Nirvana is directly obtained. From Yoga comes
knowledge; knowledge again helps the Yogi.
He who combines in himself both Yoga and knowledge, with him
the Lord is pleased. Those that practice Mahayoga, either once a day, or twice
a day, or thrice, or always, know them to be gods. Yoga is divided into two
parts. One is called Abhava, and the other, Mahayoga. Where one's self is
meditated upon as zero, and bereft of quality, that is called Abhava. That in
which one sees the self as full of bliss and bereft of all impurities, and one
with God, is called Mahayoga. The Yogi, by each one, realizes his Self. The
other Yogas that we read and hear of, do not deserve to be ranked with the excellent
Mahayoga in which the Yogi finds himself and the whole universe as God. This is
the highest of all Yogas. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana,
Dhyana, and Samadhi are the steps in Raja Yoga, of which non-injury,
truthfulness, non-covetousness, chastity, not receiving anything from another
are called Yama. This purifies the mind, the Chitta.
Never producing pain by thought, word, and deed, in any
living being, is what is called Ahimsa, non-injury. There is no virtue higher
than non-injury. There is no happiness higher than what a man obtains by this
attitude of non-offensiveness, to all creation. By truth we attain fruits of
work. Through truth everything is attained. In truth everything is established.
Relating facts as they are this is truth. Not taking others' goods by stealth
or by force, is called Asteya, non-covetousness. Chastity in thought, word, and
deed, always, and in all conditions, is what is called Brahmacharya. Not
receiving any present from anybody, even when one is suffering terribly, is
what is called Aparigraha. The idea is when a man receives a gift from another,
his heart becomes impure, he becomes low, he loses his independence, he becomes
bound and attached. The following are helps to success in Yoga and are called
Niyama or regular habits and observances; Tapas, austerity; Svadhyaya, study;
Santosha, contentment; Shaucha, purity; Ishvara pranidhana, worshipping God.
Fasting, or in other ways controlling the body, is called
physical Tapas. Repeating the Vedas and other Mantras, by which the Sattva
material in the body is purified, is called study, Svadhyaya. There are three
sorts of repetitions of these Mantras. One is called the verbal, another semi
verbal, and the third mental. The verbal or audible is the lowest, and the
inaudible is the highest of all. The repetition which is loud is the verbal;
the next one is where only the lips move, but no sound is heard. The inaudible
repetition of the Mantra, accompanied with the thinking of its meaning, is
called the "mental repetition," and is the highest. The sages have
said that there are two sorts of purification, external and internal. The
purification of the body by water, earth, or other materials is the external
purification, as bathing etc. Purification of the mind by truth, and by all the
other virtues, is what is called internal purification. Both are necessary. It
is not sufficient that a man should be internally pure and externally dirty.
When both are not attainable the internal purity is the better, but no one will
be a Yogi until he has both. Worship of God is by praise, by thought, by
devotion. We have spoken about Yama and Niyama. The next is Asana (posture).
The only thing to understand about it is leaving the body
free, holding the chest, shoulders, and head straight. Then comes Pranayama.
Prana means the vital forces in one's own body, Ayama means controlling them.
There are three sorts of Pranayama, the very simple, the middle, and the very
high.
Pranayama is divided into three parts: filling, restraining,
and emptying. When you begin with twelve seconds it is the lowest Pranayama;
when you begin with twenty-four seconds it is the middle Pranayama; that
Pranayama is the best which begins with thirty-six seconds. In the lowest kind
of Pranayama there is perspiration, in the medium kind, quivering of the body,
and in the highest Pranayama levitation of the body and influx of great bliss.
There is a Mantra called the Gayatri. It is a very holy verse of the Vedas.
"We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe;
may He enlighten our minds."
Om is joined to it at the beginning and the end. In one
Pranayama repeat three Gayatris. In
Do not practice when the body feels very lazy or ill,
or when the mind is very miserable and sorrowful. Go to a place, which is well
hidden, and where people do not come to disturb you. Do not choose dirty
places. Rather choose beautiful scenery, or a room in your own house, which is
beautiful. When you practice, first salute all the ancient Yogis, and your own
Guru, and God, and then begin. Dhyana is spoken of, and a few examples are
given of what to meditate upon. Sit straight, and look at the tip of your nose.
Later on we shall come to know how that concentrates the mind, how by
controlling the two optic nerves one advances a long way towards the control of
the arc of reaction, and so to the control of the will. Here are a few
specimens of meditation. Imagine a lotus upon the top of the head, several
inches up, with virtue as its centre, and knowledge as its stalk. The eight
petals of the lotus are the eight powers of the Yogi. Inside, the stamens and
pistils are renunciation. If the Yogi refuses the external powers he will come
to salvation. So the eight petals of the lotus are the eight powers, but the
internal stamens and pistils are extreme renunciation, the renunciation of all
these powers.
Inside of that lotus think of the Golden One, the Almighty,
the Intangible, He whose name is Om, the Inexpressible, surrounded with
effulgent light. Meditate on that. Another meditation is given. Think of a
space in your heart, and in the midst of that space think that a flame is
burning. Think of that flame as your own soul and inside the flame is another
effulgent light, and that is the Soul of your soul, God. Meditate upon that in
the heart. Chastity, non-injury, forgiving even the greatest enemy, truth,
faith in the Lord, these are all different Vrittis. Be not afraid if you
are not perfect in all of these; work, they will come. He who has given up all
attachment, all fear, and all anger, he whose whole soul has gone unto the
Lord, he who has taken refuge in the Lord, whose heart has become purified,
with whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord, He will grant that to him.
Therefore worship Him through knowledge, love, or renunciation. "He who
hates none, who is the friend of all, who is merciful to all, who has nothing
of his own, who is free from egoism, who is even minded in pain and pleasure,
who is forbearing, who is always satisfied, who works always in Yoga, whose
self has become controlled, whose will is firm, whose mind and intellect are
given up unto Me, such a one is My beloved Bhakta. From whom comes no disturbance,
who cannot be disturbed by others, who is free from joy, anger, fear, and
anxiety, such a one is My beloved. He who does not depend on anything, who is
pure and active, who does not care whether good comes or evil, and never
becomes miserable, who has given up all efforts for himself; who is the same in
praise or in blame, with a silent, thoughtful mind, blessed with what little
comes in his way, homeless, for the whole world is his home, and who is steady
in his ideas, such a one is My beloved Bhakta." Such alone become
Yogis.
There was a great god sage called Narada. Just as there are
sages among mankind, great Yogis, so there are great Yogis among the gods.
Narada was a good Yogi, and very great. He traveled everywhere. One day he was
passing through a forest, and saw a man who had been meditating until the white
ants had built a huge mound round his body so long had he been sitting in that
position. He said to Narada, "Where are you going?" Narada replied,
"I am going to heaven." "Then ask God when He will be merciful
to me; when I shall attain freedom." Further on Narada saw another man. He
was jumping about, singing, dancing, and said, "Oh, Narada, where are you
going?" His voice and his gestures were wild. Narada said, "I am
going to heaven." "Then, ask when I shall be free." Narada went
on. In the course of time he came again by the same road, and there was the man
who had been meditating with the anthill round him. He said, "Oh, Narada,
did you ask the Lord about me?" "Oh, yes." "What did He
say?" "The Lord told me that you would attain freedom in four more
births." Then the man began to weep and wail, and said, "I have
meditated until an ant hill has grown around me, and I have four more births
yet!" Narada went to the other man. "Did you ask my question?"
"Oh, yes. Do you see this tamarind tree? I have to tell you that as many
leaves as there are on that tree, so many times, you shall be born, and then
you shall attain freedom." The man began to dance for joy, and said,
"I shall have freedom after such a short time!" A voice came,
"My child, you will have freedom this minute." That was the reward
for his perseverance. He was ready to work through all those births, nothing
discouraged him. But the first man felt that even four more births were too
long. Only perseverance, like that of the man who was willing to wait aeons
brings about the highest result.
