Raja Yoga
I welcome you all with my love and respects. Today's topic is Raja Yoga,
The father of Yoga is Patanjali. Firstly, let me say a few words about Patanjali. Then, we will enter into Raja Yoga.
We can call Pataniali as a scientist of spirituality. This is because, before Pataniali was born, until Patanjali wrote Yogasurra (the aphorisms of Yoga), about enlightenment, it can be said that there was no clear book on enlightenment or about getting enlightenment. Many may get shocked on hearing this. Because, even before Patanjali's yoga, Upanishads (sacred texts of the East) and the Bhagavad Gita (litt. Song of God) had already been written.
Before Patanjali, getting enlightened had only been an accident. It would be rather only a probable event. Due to some reason, some one would get enlightened, some where at some time and then he would reveal his state of enlightenment to others. It was only so much: but the very first person who gave the 'getting of enlightenment as a science', was Patanjali.
Before Patanjali, the incident of enlightenment was considered only as the cumulative effect of various factors. Before Pataniali, enlightenment, was more or less like an accident. It was only considered as a state which occurred suddenly, when one was going in a certain path. It used to be considered that enlightenment was a rightful thing only to a particular race, a particular religion, or to those following certain traditions and customs.
It was only after Pataniali, for the first time, that the doors of enlightenment were thrown open to whole world at large! It was Patanjali who offered to the very great Truth that any one could attain enlightenment if a certain specifically prescribed path was followed.
Let's have an idea about 'what is science?' We call only that thing as a science, which can be understood logically and very clearly from the point of view of knowledge. Two and two makes four. If we add up 'a' and 'b', a result called 'c' will be obtained.
In this manner, in a very clear fashion, if we add two numbers, what is the result we get, if we join two ends, what will happen; if we have to create something, what specific action needs to be taken are conclusively stated with facts and figures. This will happen due to this; this is the cause and this is the effect. In this way, the method which conclusively states the cause and effect is only called science.
We call that as science, which is the wisdom and knowledge of knowing that a particular effect is due to a cause, and this cause has made this effect possible. If you say science, it should contain very clear-cut formulae, very clear and unambiguous replies and the results therefore should and must be obtained.
The knowledge which clearly explains as to what will happen by joining two materials, and then what will be the consequences if two objects are joined together, is called as science. The knowledge which explains the relationship between the cause and the effect is science.
All things concerning the outer world were clearly explained and clarified. All those things you see in the outer world, whether it is the electric fan, or the air-conditioner, the car, all the things that you use are with the knowledge which has been clearly explained. If operated at a specific place, this light will burn. If you operate it in Bharat, it will burn; if you operate it in another country there also it will burn. If the required causes are created, the effect will happen certainly. What are all the reasons for this fan to run, for this light to burn, if you create them, the effect will surely be there everywhere.
Whether you are a Christian, a Hindu or a Muslim, if the cause is created, the effect will happen certainly. The person who discovered the bulb is Thomas Alva Edison, a Christian. For that reason the light does not say. 'I will burn for Christians only!' If its causes are created, the effect that is the work is bound to happen. The knowledge in which the causes and effects are clearly given is only science.
We had created a clear science as far as the outer world was concerned. There was a clear science. But as far as the inner world was concerned, it was only Patanjali who, for the first time ever, created a wonderful science. Prior to Patanjali, the inner world had remained without a proper and scientific explanation. Prior to Patanjali; the spiritual world or the inner world had only remained a blind path and was not a knowledge which was clearly explained in a step by step manner.
It was only Pataniali who, for the first time, changed the attaining of enlightenment into a science. He explained it in a clear-cut manner. For the first time, he created the steps for attaining enlightenment. It was Patanjali who created in a lucid manner that whosoever one may be, belonging to any caste, creed or religion; if a man follows these paths, he can surely attain enlightenment.
Prior to Patanjali, super-human powers such as bringing to the hand any material by a mere thought of that object (in other words, teleporting), giving darshan (vision) at any place thought of, changing the body to a bigger or smaller size, anima, mahima, karima, etc, which are known as 'Ashtama siddhis' (the eight super-human powers), doing a thing as per one's own thought or will; all such things were considered only as energies or powers. Prior to Patanjali we used to think of these as wonders or siddhis. But for the first time, Patanjali changed it into an ordinary science.
A small example. Suppose, suddenly, due to some war or on account of some natural calamity, all the radios in the world were to be destroyed. Only one radio alone manages to remain on the planet. If such a situation comes, the person who possesses that radio will become a god himself, because nobody else would be knowing about the radio. What would that man, having the radio do? He would say, 'Look here. This is a small box. It will sinq nicely. Voices will come out from this. Do any of you have such a box?' Nobody else has it, except him. Then naturally, what would he become? He will become a great man in the world! People will begin worshiping him. People will say, 'there is a wonderful power with him; the small box which he is having sings by itself; it speaks sentences by itself; by itself it broadcasts many things ... '
If the radio is a common and a well-known thing to every body in the world, he would not be a great man. If there is only one radio and is with one person, naturally, we will begin to worship him as a great man.
In the same manner, in the olden days, hardly only one or two would possess these siddhis. Such super-human powers were there for only one or two people. Doing things as per one's thoughts whatever be the thought, appearing in various places simultaneously at the same time, enlarging or shrinking one's own form, bringing articles to hand just by thought; such siddhis were there with only a few persons. That is why they were thought of as super-human powers. It would be thought thus.
Patanjali tabulated all those things fully and totally; explained the cause and effect of those things and changed it into a science. In the same manner as, when the radio was invented, the bulb was invented; those things came and reached the people of the entire world for them to be used. The man who invented was Thomas Alva Edison. But as soon as it was invented, it reached the entire world. Today all the people in the world are able to use it. There is no necessity for us to do what all experiments Thomas Alva Edison did. He did a thousand experiments and when he was doing it for the 1001st time only, he invented the bulb. There is no necessity for us to do the same 1000 experiments.
If we just put on the switch only once, the light will burn because he had done experiments repeatedly and has already formulated the cause and effect of various things. Thomas Alva Edison has already formulated as to what would happen if a particular thing is done, what would be the reaction for a particular action, and so on.
Thomas Alva Edison made the outer light (electric bulb) as a science and gave it to the world. Patanjali made the inner light as a science and gave it to the world. That's it.
The light aiven by Patanjali is Raja Yoga. The knowledge and wisdom aiven by Pataniali is this Raja Yoga.
For the first time, the matter of getting enlightenment, the incident of attaining enlightenment was made as an open book.
Enlightenment is only the method of expressing wholly the energies within our body, the energies of the mind and the energies of the soul. Patanjali formulated the methods of bringing it out fully and delivering it to the world as enlightenment, and also the step by step procedures for the same.
A small storv:
After the second World War, in a small village in Germany, where tribal people lived, the army men left a small airplane and went away. Those tribal people did not know any thing else other than a bullock cart. So when they saw this, they could not understand what this could be actually. So, they attached two big bamboos and a bull and began to use it as a bullock cart. For three months, those tribal people used the airplane as a bullock cart itself. Three months passed by, after which a youth, quite well-read, came to that place. He saw the air-plane and said, 'this doesn't appear to me like a bullock cart. It looks like a tractor', He too did not have an idea about an airplane, he knew only about tractors. So saving, he tried to drive it as a tractor. He drove it and showed to them and said that this was a tractor.
Rejoicing, immediately the tribals said, 'Aha, we have now got a bullock cart which runs without a bull itself!'; so saying they began to use it as a tractor.
After a few days, a retired air pilot happened to come by that village, saw that and said, 'This is neither a bullock cart nor a tractor; this is an airplane. This can be operated. With this it is possible to fly'. He not only explained but also flew in it and showed them.
See, the same vehicle serves as a bullock-cart for the tribals; a tractor for the youth who had a little knowledge about the same, and as an airplane for the reason being the lack of knowledge of operating it. For those who do not know how to drive it, it remained as a bullock cart. For the person who knew to drive it to some extent, it remained as a tractor. For the pilot who knew how to operate it fully, it served him as an airplane.
Our body too is just like this. Our body is the airplane given to us by God. More than 90 per cent of us use it merely as a bullock cart. Most of us use our body only like a bullock cart. Only a specified few who are in the disciplines of art, science, drawing or philosophy use the body as a tractor. It is only the enlightened persons who use the plane as a plane itself.
Patanjali's Yogasutra gives the science of using the plane, in the name of Raja Yoga, in other words, to use our full potential. Only if the plane is used as a plane, its full potential energy will be exposed and utilized. If an airplane is used as a bullock cart, its full potential energy will not be released and utilized.
Raja Yoga is teaching us the method of releasing our full energy, our latent energy. Patanjali gives it to us in the name of Raja Yoga. Patanjali gives us the yoga and meditation for fully expressing the potential energy dormant within us.
Patanjali explains it as eight steps. Through eight words, very clearly he says, step by step, through which step, what results one could get; through which steps we can get enlightenment.
Yama, Niyama, Asana, Prathyaahara, Dhaarana, Dhyaanam and Samadhi. With just these eight words, he explains. Just as you listen don't be afraid as to what these words could mean, not being able to understand them. I will try to explain these words. Through these eight words, as eight steps, Patanjali explains to us.
It is a big problem! Even though yoga and enlightenment have been explained to us to this extent, why many in this world do not adopt this path? The reason is nothing else, but that there is no sufficient patience to the extent of entering into it and practising it.
A small story about patience:
There were three monkeys in a forest. They find a mango fruit. We know what will happen if one monkey gets a mango. If three monkeys get a mango, one can very well quess what would happen. All the three of them begin to quarrel for the sake of that mango fruit. One of the monkeys said, 'There is a Master nearby; we can qo and tell him our problem, and ask him to divide it for us'.
All the three monkeys agreed and went to the master says, "Look, one mango cannot be divided into three. the only way out is to dig the soil and sow it. The seed will grow into a tree. Then, there will be a lot of fruits in the tree. All of you can eat them then'.
All the three monkeys agreed and decided accordingly. They dig the earth and sow it. One monkey waters it daily. The other monkey applies some manure to it. the third monkey stands quarding it. Six months passed, but there was no sign of a plant coming up. Each monkey got suspicious about the other. They once aqain went to the same master. "Master, we don't know what happened. The tree has not come up vet', cried the three of them.
The master called on all the three monkeys and enquired. First monkey said, 'Sir, I don't know what happened. But daily I am watering it without fail. I have even stopped going for a walk in the morning for the sake of watering the seed'.
The second monkey said, 'Sir, daily in the evening, I am putting the manure. I have even stopped going to the gym'.
The third monkey said, 'Sir, daily I am digging up and checking whether the mango is there or not'.
There is nothing else in this. If a seed has to sprout and grow into a tree, water and manure alone are not enough. A little bit of patience also is necessary.
To the many places I go. I see that a vast number of people assemble for the programs. After attending the program, for five days continuously and sincerely, you do the meditation. Until 5 days there is no problem. But from the sixth day, the problem starts. The inspiration given by me will run up to five days. After that if you see, there will not be patience at all. What do we do immediately?: we begin to dig and see, whether the fruit (seed) has sprouted or not.
One lady came and asked me, 'Master, you said if we do meditation we can see God. Yesterday I meditated but God did not come?' I asked her, 'How long did you do?' She replied, 'I did for twenty minutes, Master'.
You see, the mental set-up which has been created for so many years, will not break. But, what will our impatient mind do? It will think that some thing should happen in the twenty minute meditation itself. Can we get instant meditation just like instant coffee? Our mind is such, we think that some thing should happen instantly. The very speed and haste that some thing should happen instantly will spoil the whole process and the joy in it. If the monkey had not dug up and seen, perhaps the mango plant would have come up. For the amount of manure and water fed; if the incident of not digging up the soil had been there, the tree would have come up.
In the same way of curbing the sprouting and growing of the tree just by digging up the soil; due to our lack of patience and not looking inside again and again, we do stop our progress. For four days we will do meditation with all the inspiration. After that will we do? We would think, 'These things are not suitable for me. Just like that we went there. That is all right. Leave it'. We will leave it so casually and carelessly.
If we take in our hands the one and only matter of 'sincerity', the enlightenment which Patanjali changed into a science will become a matter of Truth in our life also. If you listen with the sincerity and conviction to change it into a matter of truth, all the eight steps which I am qoing to say now; you will think, 'O, this can happen in my life, I can do it in my life also'. On the other hand, even before beginning it, you may think, 'O these words are so complicated, somehow we have come in and have sat here; we cannot even go out; it's best to sit silently until it is over', If we sit with such thoughts, even while listening, it won't be entering itself, you will think, 'He is speaking so well; let some punya (blessings) come to me'. You will go back only with such thoughts.
Two things to be understood here. Buddha beautifully says. 'The mind which creates the problems has also the capacity to resolve it'. For the mind which thinks "this is hard" has also got the energy to think 'this is easy'.
Nandanar (a Tamil poet and saint) sings, 'Aiyeh, methak kadinam; umakkadimai, aiyeh methak kadinam'.
On the other hand, Ramana Maharishi (an enlightened Master from South Bharat) sings, 'Aiyeh, athi sulabham, aathma viddhai, aiyeh athi sulabham'.
Somebody asks Ramana Maharishi, 'Master, you say it is easy, Nandanar says it is hard, what is it?"
Ramana Maharishi says, 'the mental set-up that this is hard is only hard'. If we think about a thing as difficult or hard, we will change it as hard itself. If we have an idea about a thing as being easy, we will change it to it being easy itself'. The flow of thoughts in the mind that this is hard is only hard.
Before explaining these eight steps, a small request I shall place before you. I do not say this for you to think that, when you will follow all the eight steps, you will get enlightenment tomorrow itself, no. But to the extent possible we will adopt and follow them. In the same way as we add salt in our food; in our life, do it with sincerity saying that we will at least add the essence or juice of these eight steps. Then they will change to as a means to lead you to success. Do not think that these eight steps are only for mystics, ascetics and sanyasis (celibates). These are also for those who live life wholesomely.
Yesterday during a radio interview, a gentleman asked me, "Master, we are under the constraints and compulsions of lack of availability of time and you are asking us to do meditation and stuff; we don't have time even to earn our livelihood'.
As a matter of fact, meditation is not a matter which is against our life. With a small example you can understand. A person who puts in hard physical labour for ten hours per day may earn a maximum of three thousand rupees. A teacher who works hard through words for the same ten hours may earn twenty thousand rupees. A manager or an administrator who works hard through his brain for the same ten hours may earn thirty thousand rupees.
Working hard is not important; to what extent the expression of the capacity to create, that is, creativity only is important. Try being a smart worker rather than just a hard-worker.
Meditation will create the creativity within you. Meditation will create a clear sharpness of intelligence within you; it will create the fineness of intellect in you. Meditation will create an indepth clarity within you.
Meditation and spirituality are not opposing studies for life. We all have the notion that meditation and spirituality are opposed to the normal run of life. It is not at all so. Spirituality is only that method of life which expresses fully, your energy, body-wise, and soul-wise. Raja Yoga is only the science which expresses and brings out vour total energy.
Here's an incident which actually took place. I was staying in a place called Potala in Tibet. It is the place where Dalai Lamas live. It is on the border between Nepal and Tibet. The place actually begins there. Even now Lamas live there. When I had been there, to an ashram (place of stay) where the Buddhist monks live; a Lama told me, 'Master, there are many aged Lamas in this Ashram. In this ashram, lamas live very long; if you want to see any of them, you can see that person who is working in the field out there. He is an aged monk', I could not believe because he was working in the field. As a very healthy and strong man, he was working in the field. But due to curiosity, I went up to him and asked him, 'Sir, they say that you are very aged; can you share any of vour experiences with us?'
He laughed out saying, 'Did they tell you that I am an aged person? I am only a middle-aged quv. I am merely 136 years old. There are many here who are 180 and 200. You can go and see and speak with them'.
It was really surprising to me. But factually, from the medical aspect, there is certificate to prove that his age is 136. The date of birth certificate as per their own method, have documented and kept it. There is the certificate from the medical aspect. But it was surprising to see!
I asked him, 'Sir, how is this possible?' He says, 'Right from childhood, we believe that man's life is for 300 years. This was given to us as a lesson from our childhood itself. From the childhood itself, we all know this yoga and all that. As per Yoga Shastra, man's longevity is a minimum of 300 years. We are habituated to Yoga Shastra from our childhood itself. In the same way as we cook, drink coffee as soon as we get up and go to office, practising Yoga shastra, practising pranayama, meditation etc. have become a part of our daily routine activity'. Since it has become a daily activity, in the same way as you consume food for the give prana (life force) energy to the body and the soul.
Among the various parts available to us, we give food only to one part, that is to the body. Many things enter into our body. Do not think only the food is going inside. Food is just one portion. Air enters inside. Water goes inside. Many things go inside. The thing that we have to give in is food only. The air goes inside by itself. We don't do any thing specially for that.
Like this. we qive only those things that are required for the body: we don't give what is necessary for the consciousness, prana sareera (energy layers) and the soul (Atman). The Lama says, 'Because we keep all the three; body, mind and soul properly, a life of three hundred years is our natural state of mind'. He says it is their natural state of mind.
I will try to qive as a small acquaintance, the eight steps of Yogasutra as stated by Patanjali.
There are seven chakras in our body, seven energy centers. Those who have studied Yoga would have heard of these. Mooladhara, Swadhishtana, Manipuraka, Anahata, Vishuddhi, Agna, and Sahasrara.
So far, these chakras have remained only as a belief. But, recently in Russia, a medical technique called Kirlian photography has got popular. In the same way as we detect a fracture in the bones through X-rays; if we take a Kirlian photograph, we can find out the diseases which are going to affect our body.
They say that the skin of our body is continuously emitting a fine light. By means of taking a Kirlian photograph of our body. we can find out the disease which is going to set in. in our body. This is a great achievement in the field of medicine. By this method, the likely onset of diseases like TB, cancer etc. can be assessed six months in advance.
In the Russian medical field, this Kirlian photography method has done a great revolution. Even now, in countries like Russia and Germany, Kirlian photography is very popular. Psoriasis that is goinq to come can be found out six months before its actual onset.
This Kirlian photography has got the power to find out the likely onset of diseases six months earlier. It is similar to the X-ray. It is an invention still deeper and more effective than X-ray.
Through this Kirlian photography, the scientists have proved the existence of these seven chakras.
Scientists have proved that when a person is in a blissful state of mind. the chakra enlarging to the size of a cart-wheel and when a person is in a sorrowful state of mind the chakra shrinking to the size of a small button.
Our scientists are proving that when we are immersed in meditation and hence are in a blissful state, the chakra expanding to the size of a cart-wheel, and the same chakra shrinking to the size of a small button when we are in a sorrowful state of mind. The science of making these seven chakras function is only Raja Yoga.
First step is Yama, Yama means a disciplined living. There are five things in Yama. They are Ahimsa, Brahmacharya, Sathya, Aparigraha and Astheya. That is living a life of purity. Generally, all of us have an idea that living a pure life, discipline and such things are all olden-day things. One may ask, 'nowadays, who is ready to listen to all these things, Master?' If you see, all of us think that discipline; dharma (righteousness) and purity are all outdated matters. But today, scientists of psychology say, 'by means of prayers and by living a pure life, we do not know whether God will save you or not, but your prayers and purity do save you and this can be proved by us'.
There is a beautiful book, 'How to stop worrying and start living' written by Dale Carnegie, a great psychologist. He says, 'I do not know whether Jesus will save you or not by prayers, but by way of prayers you can save yourself. The pure living brings out the energy latent within us. It enables the prana energy within us to function fully. It helps to keep our body and mind pleasant and stable. That is why our ancestors have formulated and prescribed to us the basic purity and basic good conducts.
The second one is Niyama. Niyama also is in a similar way, purity. What we have to follow in our daily life; taking bath daily, wearing neat and tidy dresses etc. We may think, 'How can things like taking bath daily and wearing neat dresses etc. can become steps for spirituality? If our body is not kept clean, it is not possible for us to keep our mind clean. Body and the mind are not two separate things as we think.
One small example. Can you be angry while lying relaxed? It is not possible. If you have to be angry, you have to bite your teeth, get up and sit; you must make your body stiff; then only it would be possible. If you are very relaxed, you cannot become angry. There is a very close relationship between the state in which the body is and the state of mind. This is because the body and mind are not two separate independent matters. If you remain for two days without taking a bath, you yourself will have a conscious feeling of restlessness. During some travel, if you have not taken bath for two days, your mind also will be uneasy. You yourself can feel that. Again, this is because the body and mind have a close relationship. Showcha means keeping ourselves and the things around us neat and tidy. All these will come under the second step. Niyama.
Third step is Asana. Asana means keeping the body at ease, sturdy and strong and well protected. Do not think that Asana refers to only those things done by bending and twisting the body from morning to evening. As far as I am concerned, if some thing is to be said about Asana, I would say that if you remain without watching television unduly, then that itself is an asana. You may ask how. Observe keenly; after watching television up to 2 in the night, even after that you watch cricket. Your eyes would be begging, 'O Sir, It is not possible for me. Please give me some rest'. The eyes just close by themselves. They ask for sleep. But what do you do? You continue to sit and see and are determined to see and watch accordingly.
Not only that. With the tongue burning, eating food stuff which is pungent and spicy. The thing opposed to Asana is only doing things which result in being harmful for the body. Asana cannot be reduced to bending the body this way and that way alone. Keeping the proper fitness can also be referred to asana; remaining without unduly harming the body, without torturing the body. All of us keep saying again and again outwardly, 'I love my body' and will be thinking so; but really we do not love our body; we actually deceive our body.
We use our body beyond its limits. In other words, we exploit our body. Just because we have got the body, we exploit it as per our thoughts and suiting our comfort and happiness. It is wrong to exploit the body beyond limits for the sake of our pleasures and comforts. Remaining without exploiting is referred to asana. That is, remaining always pleasant and comfortable is asana; keeping the body pleasant and comfortable always. For the sake of our own desires, our own comforts, beyond limits we should not destroy our body. We should not torture our body. This only is Asana.
Next one is Pranayama, controlling the prana. When we say controlling the prana, one important thing needs to be understood. All of us do not breathe fully and completely. Look at your flow of breathing. It will happen only to half the extent. Breathing will not happen fully. The reason is that your mind does not remain within your body. If you will see, the mind will always be roaming about somewhere, making its own trip. If you are in the morning, you will be thinking about the office. If you are in the office, you will be thinking about going to the evening. In the evening when you go to the temple, you will be thinking about when to get back home. If you are here, then it means that your mind is not here. We can say that one at least, clearly.
When your body is there in a particular place, your mind does not remain at that place. The reason is that we have become habituated this way. Going on imagining things one after the other continuously. If your mind is not in your body, breathing will not be a long one. This is because the mind and the breath are very closely interconnected. If you are very angry, you can see that your breathing will be quick and fast. You can see in your life itself that if the feelings become intense and fast, the breathing also will be quick and fast, whatever the type of feelings be. There is very close relationship between breath and the mind.