The Yoga Institute Mumbai

Bhagwad Gita
Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.

Chapter 2, Shlokas 53

2.53 - When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness.

Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra:

We read a lot, many ideas are there and in a way we are confused. Somebody talks of one technique, another talks of another technique. Someone talks of one Guru, another talks of another Guru. The layman has so many options, and possibly he doesn’t take up any. The answer here is a total faith. If the instructions have been received from a source in which you have full faith, just follow them. Don’t go on reading, listening to others. Every mind is different – Matir Bhinna.

If you take to a spiritual path and want to sincerely follow yoga, then don’t go on fishing about various scriptures and various authorities. Each one will have a different outlook and you will try to find out some common link that may not come. There are 10 to 15 commentaries on the Yoga Sutras. Every commentator has something to say. This is true in other areas also. Shall we spend time in studying these commentaries and arguing? Which we do.

If you look at Sankaracharya’s Bhasya and the comment on that, it’s a thick volume; you can’t carry it. The statements there are simple. Accept one particular belief and follow. Don’t go on dabbling into various opinions and arguments. They will never satisfy. In our culture we have a tremendous belief in the earliest writing, the Vedas and those that followed Vedas, the Upanishads and some later Shastras. Much of our culture is based on that. We are today, challenging all this and setting up some new ideas. The new ideas also get challenged and we don’t arrive at any certainty. It is better that you prefer one particular option which was common sense and carry it out. That’s the way it has happened in our country.

Many, many years ago, my brother had high fever. He was 10 or 11 years old. We consulted the doctors. We had to spend a lot of money. We consulted a Dr. Bharucha who was considered as the final authority. He examined, nodded his head and we thought he had found some solution. We asked him, what was the problem? He announced that the boy has high fever. That, the thermometer showed. What more did Dr. Bharucha detect? Nothing. That night an American surgeon who was associated with the Institute, came down from Navsari. He looked at the child and immediately pronounced, “He has small pox.” Next morning there were markings on the body. So this is our problem. We are not sure of ourselves. Somewhere after some study, investigations, you have to settle down. You can’t keep searching all your life. Once you settle down, there is a lot of virtue in that settling down. The mind gets quiet, there are experiences and one carries on. If the basic is good, in course of time something good can happen.

Smt. Hansaji J. Yogendra:

Today’s Sloka gives another definition of yoga. When you steady your mind, make it peaceful, focused – totally undistracted – that is yoga. There are various definitions – balanced state of mind is yoga, excellence in work is yoga. This is your consciousness with universal consciousness, Atma Ka Parmatma Ke Saath Judna – that is yoga. Yoga is a path of self development. The person has to slowly become steadier, calmer, focused and come to a stage where the object of focus is the universal self. That would be the ultimate. Various thinking goes on in our life about anything. What food to eat, what type of work to do, how to do it? For any action there are various angles of looking at it, various opinions, various experiences. There is always confusion. Do this or that, is this right or wrong, etc. There are too many thoughts. So quieten your mind, stop thinking and focus on something which is superior. That is the answer. It is a simple formula.

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 Tuesday Parisamvad is dedicated to explanation of the the Bhagwad Gita by our esteemed Gurus, Dr. Jayadeva and Smt. Hansaji.

All are welcome to attend.

Click Here to learn more about The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai.

(Shloka and its English translation taken from http://www.ishwar.com/hinduism/holy_bhagavad_gita).

Patanjali Yoga Sutra
Transcribed from Parisamvad at The Yoga Institute.

Chapter 1, Sutra 7

Ptatyaksa-Anuman-Agamah-Pramanani

Perception, Inference and Testimony Constitute the Pramanas.

Pratyaksa : direct perception

Anuman : inference

Agamah : testimony ;authority

Pramanani : valid means of knowing.

Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra:

This sutra deals with right knowledge – Pramana. This is very necessary in our life. It is a very clear and correct kind of knowledge. The problem is that we don’t have such knowledge. We are full of wrong knowledge and so the mistakes and so the pain. The simple suggestion is that our perception should be such that it shows us the momentariness of things – things that are continuously changing. Still that does not lead to the attitude of disinterest. Knowing things as momentary, we still hang on to them and that happens to anything and everything in life – whether it is money or individuals. We know that they are going to go, that they are momentary, but we don’t deal with it that way. We take that everything will remain permanent. We are so attached and so we are unhappy.

Vairagya is very much required – a kind of a detachment, objectivity, which is lacking. A villager took his son to a surgeon. The son had some obstruction in the nose and breathing problems. The surgeon advised operation in the nose. The father was standing there. The son was put on the operation table. The surgeon got out his knife. When the father saw the knife, he fainted. He could not stand watching the knife being used on his son. This is the kind of problem we have. We are not able to understand things. We get a suggestion to be detached and that terrifies us and our life is full of pain.

These things happen at our Institute also. An executive of a big organization came to learn in the 7 months teachers’ training course. He was a very nice person, strong, tall, well built. He stood watching as Jalneti being taught. He was apprehensive that when his turn will come, the water will enter the nose and he had a fear that the water will enter the brain. It so happened that he actually fell down and fainted. We revived him. We asked him, what happened? He said, “I will never do Jalneti, the water will go in the brain and the brain will get damaged.” He had his own ideas. Our perception and our imagination play havoc. The facts are not understood.

The fact is that here is a qualified surgeon, he knows what has to be done. Many have trusted him. He is well known and he will do good to my son also. But, no, this Pratyaksa, what we see, is misconstrued and the result is Anuman – logic / inference. That also is wrong. All this becomes the Pramana – truth. This is true of life. We have all kinds of relationships, all kinds of people around, but we are not clear. We want that the person who lives with us, remains with us. He is born to me and will remain with me eternally. We don’t say so, otherwise everyone will laugh at us, but deep within us we have that feeling. The statement is that this misconstruction is the cause of all suffering.

Smt. Hansaji J. Yogendra:

Pratyaksa is what we have experienced through our senses. Is that taking you to a better state, Aklista state or Klista state? Is your attachment increasing, ego increasing? Then despite Pratyaksa, it should be removed. Consciously increase Aklista tendencies. When Buddha saw a dead body, when he saw a sick person, he didn’t get attached to the world. He wanted to understand life. If we are getting entangled in the world, then don’t believe in the Pratyaksa. Develop Aklista tendencies. Anuman is inference. There are too many clouds so it will rain heavily. You can take it negatively (there will be flood) or positively (the weather will become pleasant). Agama is what the scriptures are telling, what wise people are telling you. These things should to be accepted and we should follow them. We don’t have to doubt them. One shouldn’t have ego of knowing the scriptures.

About Parisamvad

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.

Want to learn more about The Yoga Institute? Click Here

Bhagwad Gita 2.53 (Parisamvad)

Yoga Sutra Ch 1 Sutra 7 (Parisamvad)