Patanjali Yoga Sutra
Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.
Chapter 1, Sutra 1
Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.
Chapter 1, Sutra 1
Atha: now, at this auspicious
moment ; implying the transition to this practice and pursuit
Yoga: as the absorption in
samadhi
Anu: following tradition
Sasanam: instruction ,
discipline.
These writings are not a sudden flair of
imagination. Today many authors claim originality. They have created some new
works. In olden times the writers were frank, honest. They would not give their
names. Something that has been coming down in tradition. Each word creates a
certain mood. In those days, 2000 years back, there was no writing. The
individual had certain very inspiring thoughts and he would mention it to the
others, close students. They would then pass it on to the next generation.
Generation after generation these statements were remembered and passed on
without any errors and mistakes till very recent times. There are families in
Maharashtra whose job is nothing else but remembering the Vedas. Vedas are very
large works and are the oldest. The father remembered the first work, the son
the next, the grandson the next. They remembered by heart this huge literature.
The requirement was that not a single letter be missed or mis-pronounced. No mistakes
would be tolerated. The danger was that instead of doing good, it would harm.
These people have sincerely remembered and have brought it down over the last
3000-4000 years, exactly as it was
stated earlier and they are carrying on. They are doing, their children will
do. The state government every year honours them. This is the history of our
Indian literature which is very deep. No one knows who wrote the Yoga Sutras.
No single copy of early writing is there. Yuj Samadhau – Yoga in the sense of
reaching highest state of consciousness. These writing were considered very
sacred. Maharshi Patanjali is supposed to have few students. He would speak to them, but
there was a curtain between the students and the teacher. They couldn’t see the
teacher. They would just listen. One day a student became curious to know what
sort of a person the teacher is. He quietly moved the curtain a little and
peeped. No sooner did this happen that the teacher stopped. He put a curse and said that he
will not say anything further. Whatever was said, that’s all. So we have just
195 sutras .
Atha – one should start
with reverence. Yoga is concentration.
One becomes one with the object of concentration. Yoga is uniting oneself with the object. Atma unites
with Parmatma, individual consciousness unites with universal consciousness. Anushasan
simply means discipline. Whatever data was available was made into a systematic
path. What is to be done, who can do it, what are the difficulties on the path,
what will be the final result all this; was taken into consideration. Yoga was
there before Maharshi Patanjali. There was Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Hatha
Yoga, Tantra Yoga , Mantra Yoga, Raja Yoga. He brought them all together, took
out the essence and made a systematic path. Because of his effort, yoga is considered as one of the Darshan Shastra –
Yoga became the science of philosophy. Out of the six philosophies (Yoga,
Vedanta, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshik, Purva Mimamsa), yoga became most popular and practical. It
is not just philosophical thinking – it is living, it is experiencing. When
Patanjali made this system, it was for everybody. Everybody can’t be a Bhakti
Yogi or a Hatha Yogi. Patanjali devised a very systematic path for every human
and so it became most popular. This path is for those who have a spiritual
bent, who realize the limitations of the material world. These individuals
progress faster – for them the techniques are different. For those who are still entangled in the material world for
them there are different techniques. It is a lovely science, we have to take the decision and follow.
About Parisamvad
On every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, The Yoga Institute, Santacruz holds Parisamvad sessions - Free interactive sessions that are open to all. These session begin at 7:20 am and end around 7:45 am.
The Friday Parisamvad is dedicated to explanation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by our esteemed Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji.
All are welcome to attend.
