Purity in heart, clarity in mind, sincerity in action and contentment is the formula for happiness.
-Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The art of living)
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A few days earlier, I attended a Sudarshan Kriya workshop, which made me feel extremely positive about myself and taught me further about how much yoga and our philosophical texts can do to improve our lives. This article explores the core idea of yoga, which is that it's more than simply a kind of exercise; it's a journey or route towards self-discovery that helps us come to know oneself. The way we live is estranged from reality, the natural world, other people, and ourselves. We were driven by our mental health to give in to hopelessness, suffering, worry, stress, suicides, and a bad quality of life. Every act of immorality we come across in daily life is the result of a mind that is tarnished by negative ideas.
The word "yoga," which originated from Sanskrit and means "to join or to unite," represents the union of the corporal body and the mind. It is practised all around the world and is steadily increasing its popularity. In acknowledging its widespread popularity, the United Nations declared 21 June as the International Day of Yoga by resolution 69/131 on December 11, 2014. "The importance of individuals and populations making healthier choices and adhering to lifestyle patterns that foster good health" is noted in the resolution. We have been celebrating International Yoga Day for nine years, with the goal of raising global awareness of the many benefits of practising yoga. In contemporary materialistic society, we frequently disregard our rich culture and the worth of our magnificent old writings and their philosophy. Yoga has practically faded from our society and daily lives.
Yoga: The Union of Mind, Body and Soul
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ||१.२ ||
Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff(Chitta) from taking various forms(Vrittis)
Citta may be transformed into any type of vritti or cognitive mental state, and when it does, the self is mirrored in it and is likely to adopt it as a state of being. In accordance with this verse from Maharishi Patanjali's Patanjali-sutra, yoga is to abstain the mind from fluctuation from various distractions. As a result, it seems to transition through various states of mind (chitta) and stages of life. It thinks that it is vulnerable to birth, growth, deterioration, and death at specific times in time. Regular yoga practise promotes attributes of generosity, empathy, and improved self-control while cultivating a sense of serenity and well-being. It also increases strength, endurance, and flexibility. Sustained practice also has substantial advantages, such as shifts in perspective on life, more self-awareness, and increased vitality to live life to the fullest and with genuine contentment. In the renowned manuscript known as the Yoga Sutras, which is usually regarded as the classic work on yoga, Patanjali first offered an explanation of the theory and practise of yoga.
Today, many people identify yoga only with asana, the physical practice of yoga, but asana is just one of the many tools used for healing the individual; only three of the 196 sutras mention asana and the remainder of the text discusses the other components of yoga including conscious breathing, meditation, lifestyle and diet changes, visualisation and the use of sound, among many others. In Yoga Sutras, Patanjali outlines an eightfold path to awareness and enlightenment called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs”, gives the ethical way of living. The eight limbs of yoga are combined into one comprehensive, all-encompassing discipline by Ashtanga. The Ashtanga Yoga School's eight limbs of yoga are a representation of the many schools of the yoga sutras' philosophy. All eight limbs of yoga—Yama (moral principles), Niyama (self-discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (oneness with the self)—are integrated according to the Ashtanga philosophy.Yoga is viewed as having external assistance, which include the five disciplines of restraint and culture (yama and niyama), physical posture (asana), breath control (pranayama), and control over the senses (pratyahara). Due to their close ties to various forms of samadhi or yoga, the latter three disciplines are referred to as being internal to yoga in comparison to the first two. These are dhyana, samadhi, and dharana.
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Every Indian Philosophy School Obsessing Over Yoga
Yoga is a 3,000-year-old practise that is today seen as an integrated approach to health in the West and is classified as a type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the National Institutes of Health. If we examine Indian philosophy, every school of it discusses yoga and how it relates to the spirituality that follows yoga. Yoga's significance as a way to learn the spiritual principles of Indian philosophy has been acknowledged by almost all Indian schools. We have conclusive evidence that yoga practises were acknowledged in the Upanishads, Smritis, and Puranas. The Bhagavad gita states that the goal of yoga is to always keep the mind in a balanced state.
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ |
समदु:खसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते || (chapter 2 verse 15)
The Bhagavad Gita phrase quoted above states that the best of men is the one who is unaffected by happiness and pain and stays stable in both, and is therefore qualified for freedom.
According to the Sankhya school of Indian philosophy, freedom comes from one's own self-discriminating knowledge rather than from any outside influences. In Sankhya, the demand of God for epistemic clarity regarding the interplay of the larger self, the particular self, and the surrounding cosmos is not seen. Yoga and the Sankhya school of Indian philosophy are closely related.It is the application of Sankhya theory to real-world situations. The Sankhya epistemology and the three pramnas (evidences) of perception, inference, and textual witness are widely accepted by yoga. This philosophy is particularly interested in yoga as a sure way to get (vivekajana), or discriminative knowledge, which is seen by the Sankhya as a necessary prerequisite for liberation. Yoga assists in developing a clear awareness of the difference between right and wrong in the mind and the body. It illustrates how our spirit is immortal in contrast to the rest of this universe, which is perishable.
The five moral vows or pancha mahavratas of the Jain school of Indian philosophy are The first discipline of Patanjali's eightfold limbs elaborated above, consists of (a) Ahimsa, or abstaining from any kind of harm to life; (b) Satya, or truthfulness in thought and speech; (c) Asteya, or abstaining from stealing; (d) Brahmacharya, or control of the carnal desires and passions; and (e) Aparigraha, or abstaining from accepting unnecessary gifts from other people.
War is the ideal illustration of how we are disregarding the trait of ahimsa in the modern world. Ahimsa is avoiding any kind of harm to any life. We fought conflicts for territory, ideologies, and materialism (such as the Ukraine-Russian War and the First and Second World conflicts). Truthfulness in mind and expression is satya. We enjoy lying so much that we aren't even aware how frequently we do it each day. For extremely simple things, we typically lie. It doesn't matter if it's immense or tiny since it immediately impacts our mental and emotional health and changes who we are. A lie—lying at home, at school, etc.—broke our connection in day-to-day life.
In contemporary society, it even includes copyright, thoughts of others, etc. because we are so captivated by our interests and desires that they override our ethical obligations to abstain from stealing. It appears to be simpler for this individual to copy, paste, or steal other people's ideas since they lack imagination.
Restraining one's passions and carnal wants. This is among the finest illustrations of how, due to our lack of control over our appetites and passions, the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the world is widening on a daily basis. Due of this strong desire, there are examples of rape, molestation, family disputes, and global disputes. We must learn to restrain our emotions and cravings. Independence and self-respect are concepts that are being lost in contemporary culture, when people are easily persuaded or inspired by others just by acquiring material possessions. To get this attribute, we must give up such things.
Vipassana is an ancient form of mindfulness meditation that originated with the Buddhist school of Indian philosophy. It entails accepting one's ideas and feelings just as they are, without passing judgement or ruminating over them. Vipassana can lower tension and anxiety, which could be advantageous for reducing substance abuse. It is the type of yoga performed in Buddhism as well. In the cutthroat and contrasting world of today, we need to rediscover our spirituality. Every school of Indian thinking shares the yoga idea, which unites us with our inner selves.
Necessity Of Yoga
I came to understand five essential facts about life while performing that kriya, and they had a profound impact on me. The first is to focus on the present moment . Whether we are working or studying, we constantly think about our future rewards and accomplishments, and this obstacle became the reason why the majority of people are upset with themselves. The idea of nishkama karma—doing our karma without desire for reward—is also presented in the karma yoga of Bhagavad Gita.
अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः । स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः
The same obligation performed for the purpose of performing it is explained by Immanuel Kant's theory of deontology, “Duty for duty’s sake”.
Another is to embrace others as they are. When we focus on the negative aspects of others rather than on ourselves, we become unhappy, it has a detrimental impact on us, and it disturbs our minds. However, when we accept others as they are, we are able to gain insight into ourselves, and instead of them, we would improve ourselves and act in the right way. We must accept that we live in a world where contrasting ideals function optimally when together. The entirety of this world completes the other. There will be both good and terrible, positive and negative. It is up to us how we respond to them; the energy that we embrace. As a result of acknowledging this truth, we gain more endurance and love for society.
I am one of those persons who is easily swayed by others and has a fickle mind. However, with patience and a calm mind, one should learn not to be the target of others' whims and to always act in accordance with their own judgement.No one in the world knows you better than you do, and this knowledge only arrived once we realised our own individuality and power, thus you must have a firm and stable mind about yourself.
Last but not least, avoid criticising people for their faults; alternatively, forgive them and refrain from holding them responsible. Since we are all human, behaviours can be affected by our past experiences, current circumstances, and surroundings. These include all aspects of their surroundings; no one is born in this world with a bad spirit. The capacity to forgive comes from having a steady mind and expressing each person you care for them.
Bhagavad Gita advises that these lessons and self-improvement require time, and that one should be steadfast and constant in all of their life's endeavors.
स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः ॥ १.१४॥
Additionally, according to Bhagavad Gita, the purest state of mind is achieved by nurturing feelings of friendliness, mercy, joy, and indifference for happy, miserable, good, and bad animals, respectively.
मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षणां
सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम्॥१.३३॥
Conclusion
पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानां प्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति ॥ ४.३४॥
The Patanjali sutra's final word informed us that the key to nirvana is understanding oneself. Aiming to uncover the truth about man and the world—the actual Self, the atman (soul), as eternally pure, enlightened, and free, as the source of the only true, everlasting happiness—yoga explores this area of authentic superphysical experience. One may discover their true selves and supernormal abilities in this contemporary society filled with diversions, bad ideas, and negativity by following the path of yoga. In my opinion, the foundation of the proper knowledge is to know oneself, and in this transient world we live in, yoga showed us the power of oneself and the distinction between the good and wrong information. In my opinion, the proper knowledge or the core is to know oneself, and in this transitory world we all need to know ourselves and maintain our mind and body peace. Yoga taught us the power of one self and the distinction between the good and wrong knowledge.
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By- Agrima
Agrima is a third year student of BA Programme(Hindi+Philosophy) in Hindu College.
References
An introduction to Indian philosophy by satish chandra chatterjee
https://patanjaliyogasutra.in/ for patanjali sutra given above
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