USES OF YOGA
BY THE PRACTICE OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOGA THE IMPURITIES BEING DESTROYED KNOWLEDGE BECOMES EFFULGENT, UP TO DISCRIMINATION.
NOW COMES THE PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE. WHAT WE HAVE JUST BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT IS MUCH HIGHER. IT IS WAY ABOVE OUR HEADS, BUT IT IS THE IDEAL. IT IS FIRST NECESSARY TO OBTAIN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL CONTROL. THEN THE REALISATION WILL BECOME STEADY IN THAT IDEAL. THE IDEAL BEING KNOWN, WHAT REMAINS IS TO PRACTISE THE METHOD OF REACHING IT.
YAMA, NIYAMA, ASANA, PRANAYAMA, PRATYA HARA, DHARANA, DHYANA, SAMADHI, ARE THE LIMBS OF YOGA.
NON-KILLING, TRUTHFULNESS, NON-STEALING, CONTINUENCE, AND NON-RECEIVING ARE CALLED YAMA.
A MAN WHO WANTSTO BE A PERFECT YOGI MUST GIVE UP THE SEX IDEA. THE SOUL HAS NO SEX, WHY SHOULD IT DEGRADE ITSELF WITH SEX IDEAS ? LATER WE SHALL UNDERSTAND BETTER WHY THESE IDEAS MUST BE GIVEN UP. RECEIVING IS JUST AS BAD AS STEALING, RECEIVING GIFTS FROM OTHERS. WHOEVER RECEIVES GIFTS, HIS MIND IS ACTED ON BY THE MIND OF THE GIVER, SO THAT THE MAN WHO RECEIVES GIFTS BECOMES DEGENERATED. RECEIVING GIFTS DESTROYS THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE MIND, AND MAKES US MERE SLAVES. THEREFORE, RECEIVE NOTHING.
THESE, UNBROKEN BY TIME, PLACE, PURPOSE, AND CASTE, ARE (UNIVERSAL) GREAT VOWS.
THESE PRACTICES, NON-KILLING, NON-STEALING, CHASITY, AND NON-RECEIVING ARE TO BE PRACTICED BY EVER MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD, BY EVERY SOUL, IRRESPECTIVE OF NATION,COUNTRY OR POSITION.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PURIFICATION, CONTENTMENT, MORTIFICATION, STUDY, AND WORSHIP OF GOD, ARE THE NIYAMAS.
EXTERNAL PURIFICATION IS KEEPING THE BODY PURE, A DIRTY MAN WILL NEVER BECOME A YOGI. THERE MUST BE INTERNAL PURIFICATION ALSO. THAT IS OBTAINED BY THE FIRST-NAMED VIRTUES. OF COURSE INTERNAL PURITY IS OF GREATER VALUE THAT EXTERNAL, BUT BOTH ARE NECESSARY, AND EXTERNAL PURITY, WITHOUT INTERNAL, IS OF NO GOOD.
TO OBSTRUCT THOUGHTS WHICH ARE INIMICAL TO YOGA, CONTRARY THOUGHTS WILL BE BROUGHT.
THIS IS THE WAY TO PRACTICE ALL THESE VIRTUES THAT HAVE BEEN STATED, BY HOLDING THOUGHTS OF AN OPPOSITE CHARACTER IN THE MIND. WHEN THE IDEA OF STEALING COMES, NON-STEALING SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF. WHEN THE IDEA OF RECEIVING GIFTS COMES, REPLACE IT BY A CONTRARY THOUGHT.
THE OBSTRUCTIONS TO YOGA ARE KILLING ETC., WHETHER COMMITTED, CAUSED, OR APPROVED, EITHER THROUGH AVARICE, OR ANGER, OR IGNORANCE, WHETHER SLIGHT, MIDDLING, OR GREAT, AND RESULT IS INNUMERABLE IGNORANCE AND MISERIES. THIS IS (THE METHOD OF ) THINKING THE CONTRARY.
IF I TELL I LIE, OR CAUSE ANOTHER TO TELL A LIE, OR APPROVE OF ANOTHER DOING SO, IT IS EQUALLY SINFUL. IF IT IS A VERY MILD LIE, IT IS STILL A LIE. EVERY VICIOUS THOUGT WILL REBOUND, EVERY THOUGHT OF HATRED WHICH YOU HAVE THOUGHT, IN A CAVE EVEN, IS STORE UP, AND WILL ONE DAY COME BACK TO YOU WITH TREMENDOUS POWER IN THE FORM OF SOME MISERY HERE. IF YOU PROJECT ALL SORTS OF HATRED AND JEALOUSY, THEY WILL REBOUND ON YOU WITH COMPOUND INTEREST. NO POWER CAN AVERT THEM, WHEN ONECE YOU HAVE PUT THEM IN MOTION YOU WILL HAVE TO BEAR THEM. REMEMBERING THIS, WILL PREVENT YOU FROM DOING WICKED THINGS.
NON - KILLING BEING ESTABLISHED, IN HIS PRESENCE ALL EMNITIES CEASE (IN OTHERS).
IF A MAN GETS THE IDEA OF NON - INJURING OTHERS, BEFORE HIM EVEN ANIMALS WHICH ARE BY THEIR NATURE FEROCIOUS WILL BECOME PEACEFUL. THE TIGER AND THE LAMB WILL PLAY TOGETHER BEFORE THAT YOGI AND WILL NOT HURT EACH OTHER. WHEN YOU HAVE COME TO THAT STATE, THEN ALONE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE BECOME FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN NON-INJURING.
BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TRUTHFULNESS, THE YOGI GETS THE POWER OF ATTAINING FOR HIMSELF AND OTHERS THE FRUITS OF WORK WITHOUT THE WORKS.
WHEN THE POWER OF TRUTH WILL BE ESTABLISHED WITH YOU, THEN EVEN IN DREAM YOU WILL NEVER TELL AN UNTRUTH, IN THOUGHT, WORD OR DEED, WHATEVER YOU SAY WILL BE TRUTH. YOU MAY SAY TO A MAN, "BE BLESSED" AND THAT MAN WILL BE BLESSED. IF A MAN IS DISEASED, AND YOU SAY TO HIM, "BE THOU CURED" HE WILL BE CURVED IMMEDIATELY.
BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NON-STEALING ALL WEALTH COMES TO THE YOGI.
THE MORE YOU FLY FROM NATURE THE MORE SHE FOLLOWS YOU, AND IF YOU DO NOT CARE FOR HER AT ALL SHE BECOMES YOUR SLAVE.
BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONTINENCE ENERGY IS GAINED.
THE CHASTE BRAIN HAS TREMENDOUS ENERGY, GIGANTIC WILL POWER, WITHOUT THAT THERE CAN BE NO MENTAL STRENGTH. ALL MEN OF GIGANTIC BRAINS ARE VERY CONTINENT. IT GIVES WONDERFUL CONTROL OVER MANKIND. LEADERS OF MEN HAVE BEEN VERY CONTENT, AND THIS IS WHAT GAVE THEM POWER. THEREFORE, THE YOGI MUST BE CONTENT.
WHEN HE IS FIXED IN NON-RECEIVING HE GETS THE MEMORY OF PAST LIFE.
WHEN THE YOGI DOES NOT RECEIVE PRESENTS FROM OTHERS HE DOES NOT BECAME BEHOLDEN TO OTHERS, BUT BECOMES INDEPENDENT AND FREE, AND HIS MIND BECOMES PURE, BECAUSE WITH EVERY GIFT HE RECEIVES ALL THE EVILS OF THE GIVER, AND THEY COME AND LAY COATING AFTER COATING ON HIS MIND, UNTIL IT IS HIDDEN UNDER ALL SORTS OF COVERINGS OF EVIL. IF HE DOES NOT RECEIVE THE MIND BECOMES PURE, AND THE FIRST THING IT GETS IS MEMORY OF PAST LIFE.
THEN ALONE THE YOGI BECOMES PERFECTLY FIXED IN HIS IDEAL, BECAUSE HE SEES THAT HE HAS BEEN COMING AND GOING SO MANY TIMES, AND HE BECOMES DETERMINED THAT THIS TIME HE WILL BE FREE, THAT HE WILL NO MORE COME AND GO, AND BE THE SLAVE OF NATURE.