THE YOGA SUTRAS

 

                              

                                THE YOGA GODLESS

                                       THE SUTRAS

                 SAMADHI-BHAVANA-ARTHAH KLESA TANU-KARANA-ARTHAS-CA

                 SAMADHI 2

                     THE PURPOSE OF THE PRACTICE IS TO CULTIVATE SAMADHI AND WEAKENING OF AFFLICTIONS.

                    AT THIS POINT, IT IS RELEVANT TO TAKE NOTE OF THE FACT THAT TILL SUTRA 28, THE PRACTICE POPULARLY CALLED ASHTANGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF EIGHT LIMBS IS NOT MENTIONED. IT IS ONLY FROM SUTRA 29 THAT THE PRACTICE OF ASHTANGA BEGINS. UNTIL THEN, THE TEACHING CENTRES AROUND UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT CAUSE OF AFFLICTIONS, SO THAT THEY MAY BE DEALT WITH.

                       SUTRAS 3 

                            AVIDYA-ASMITA-RAGA-DVESA-ABHINIVESAH KLESAH

                          THIS SUTRA DESCRIBES THE AFFLICTIONS THAT HAMPER THE TRANQUILITY OF MIND NEEDED TO TOUCH THE FREEDOM OF PURE CONSCIOUSNESS.

                        IGNORANCE, I-AM-NESS (EGO), ATTRACTION, AVERSION AND DESIRE FOR CONTINUITY - THE DESIRE TO LIVE FOREVER.

                      NOW THESE NEED TO BE STUDIED CAREFULLY, THE BRAHMA SUTRAS, UPANISHADS AND THE GITA, TOGETHER CALLED THE PRASTANA TRAYA, OFFER A GREAT DEAL IN THIS DIRECTION.

                       THE NEXT SUTRAS THAT FOLLOW TAKE UP EACH OF THESE WORDS AND EXPLAIN THEIR MEANING,

                          SUTRA 4

                   AVIDYA KSETRAM-UTTARESAM PRASUPTA-TANU-VICCHINNI-

                    UDARANAM AVIDYA

                           IGNORANCE IS THE ORIGIN OF FIELD OF ALL OTHER AFFLICTIONS, EITHER DORMANT OR INACTIVE, DIMISHED (DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS), OVERPOWERED BY OTHER CAUSES OR FULLY AROUSED.

                           THE NEXT SUTRAS ATTEMPT TO DEFINE THE WORD "IGNORANCE".

                SUTRA 5

                   ANITYA-ASUCI-DUHKHA-ANATMASU NITYA-SUCI-

                   SUKHA-ATMA- KHYATIR-AVIDYA

                      IGNORANCE IS SEEING THE NON-ETERNAL AS ETERNAL, THE NOT PURE AS PURE, SORROW PRODUCING FACTORS AS PLEASURABLE, AND THE NON-SELF AS SELF.

                           AS VEDANTA DECLARES, THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT ONE CONSIDERS THE UNREAL, PHENOMENAL WORLD PERCEIVED BY THE SENSE ORGANS AS REAL AS OPPOSED TO THE REAL SELF, WHICH CANNOT BE RECOGNISED BY THEM. THE FAMOUS "ASSERTATION" OFTEN CONSIDERED A PRAYER, ASATOMA SADGAMAYA 'FROM THE UNREAL MAY I ASCEND TO THE REAL SUMS UP THIS IDEA.

                      WHAT THE VEDANTINS SAY IS WHAT SCIENTISTS, PARTICULARLY NEUROLOGISTS, HAVE BEGUN TO SAY TODAY, THAT WHAT WE PERCEIVE AND FEEL AS THE REAL WORLD, IS MERELY THE IMAGE OF THE WORLD PERCEIVED THROUGH OUR SENSE ORGANS WHICH THEMSELVES ARE INACCURATE INSTRUMENTS OF PERCEPTION, AND BASED ON WHICH, THE MIND CONSTRUTS IMAGES AND PRESENTS TO US AS "REAL".

                       DIFFERENT SETS OF SENSE ORGANS OR INSTRUMENTS OF PERCEPTION, LIKE THE COMPOUND EYE OF THE COMMON HOUSEFLY, CAN PROJECT AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT IMAGE OF THE SAME WORLD. THE QUESTION THAT ARISES IS, THEREFORE, WHAT IS THE REALITY OF EVEN THIS WORLD WE EXPERIENCE AND LIVE IN, EXCEPT WHAT THE MIND PROJECTS, WHICH IN ITSELF IS BASED ON THE ERRONEOUS DATA PROVIDED BY THE UNSTRUMENTS OF PERCEPTION. TO QUOTE THE POET ALEXANDER POPE, THE DIFFERENCE IS AS GREAT BETWEEN THE OPTICS SEEING, AS THE OBJECTS SEEN.