Patanjali Yoga And Scientific Value System-Part I (The Challenge Of Patanjali Yoga)

By Staff

Monday, July 21, 2008, 11:14

The Vedanta Kesari, p. 101-105, March 2006, Ramakrishna Mission
Among several of the existing spiritual practices, there are two that display these characteristics of science. They are Advaita Vedanta or Nondualism, and Patanjali's Raja Yoga. The former is quite out of the reach of most people because of the lack of competence on the part of practitioners and, more importantly, because of the lack of opportunities. The latter, however, is more easily accessible and is quite a rage today. We propose to examine how this Yoga satisfies the value criteria of modern science. Before we do that, we should first understand what Patanjali Yoga is all about.

Indian philosophy has six branches (Shad-darshana). These are Nyaya (Logic), Vaiseshika (Atomism), Sankhya (Creation), Yoga (Union), Purvamimamsa (Karmakanda of the Vedas) and Uttaramimamsa (Jnanakanda of the Vedas).

Each one of these philosophies is associated with a textbook, written in the form of aphorisms or sutras. The book associated with Yoga is believed to have been composed by a sage called Patanjali and goes by the name Patanjala Yoga Sutras.

True to the tradition in Indian scriptures, more is known about this book than the author himself. All that is known about Patanjali is that he flourished sometime between the second century BCE (Before the Common Era, earlier known as BC) and the second century CE (Common Era, earlier known as AD) and compiled the existing knowledge about Yoga into a systematic branch of philosophy. It is a highly practice-oriented subject, with its theoretical foundation provided by the Sankhya philosophy.

The book itself, containing 196 aphorisms, is divided into four chapters or 'quarters' (pada).
The first chapter, called the Samadhi-pada, introduces the concept of Samadhi, its multifarious forms, the concept of Omkara, the obstacles faced by a practitioner and the methods of overcoming them.
The second chapter is called Sadhana pada, dealing essentially with the practical aspects of how to refine and control the mind.

In the third chapter, called the Vibhuti-pada, Patanjali discusses the changes that occur in the human mind on its way to Samadhi through concentration and meditation. It is this study of the mind which has led many scholars to call Patanjali Yoga Sutras a text on Indian Psychology. This chapter also contains a list of powers acquired by yogis through their practice. The last chapter, known as Kaivalya-pada, is about the last stages of the practice when the meditator dissolves in the object of meditation. Patanjali calls the last state simply Kaivalya or Aloneness, without explaining what it is.

At first sight, the book appears to be the collection of a set of disjointed aphorisms. But, a more careful and detailed study reveals the connecting links. Like Buddha, Patanjali also feels, for several reasons, that human life is full of sorrow. He believes that the experience of sorrow is due to avidya or wrong perception. This is due to the superimposition of the Consciousness, Purusa, on the inert material content, Prakrti. According to Patanjali, the separation of the two is vidya or right perception. When this separations happens, all sorrow disappears.

How can a yogi bring about this separation? Patanjali says that the method to do this is Ashtanga Anushthana, or Ashtanga Yoga. This is the practical aspect of Yoga which has become very popular around the world.

The Ashtanga Yoga, as the very name suggests, consists of eight limbs—Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Of these, Yama and Niyama are ethical practices, Asana and Pranayama are physical practices, Pratyahara and Dharana are mental practices, and Dhyana and Samadhi are supramental states of existence.

To Be Continued