YOGADARSHANA

Dr Suvarna Nalapat
Yoga is a science of life.An art of understanding the soul and its unity with the entire universe and maintainance of that harmony throughout life.A systematic practice which improves our awareness ,develop our willpower,-a complete process of personality development and perfection by merging with the universal self ,which some people call God and others call cosmic consciousness ,and still others a force or a sakthy.Whatever you call,or call not,there is some force which binds the multitudes of universes and the ability of the human mind to perceive its harmonious music.Yoga is a darsana ,which means a direct perception .In Tamil literature we find four types of perceptions.
1.Vaayirkaatchi.Perception through the doors of the physical senses.
2.Manakaatchi.Mental perceptions.
3.Thanvedanaikaatchi.Through experiences of pain and pleasure ,you have some aquired intellectual perceptions about the world.
4.Yogakaatchy.Yogadarshana,is the perception of the absolute truth or reality through an intense state of concentration on the subject.
There are four methods of yoga to achieve the yogadarshana.Though mentioned as four different methods they are having a superposed and an overlapping nature between each other.
1.Raajayoga.
2.Gnaanayoga(the way of knowledge and wisdom pursued by the intellectuals)
3.Bhakthyyoga.(the way of love and devotion practiced by the emotional and romantic seekers)
4.Karmayoga.(the way of action and reaction followed by the others who cannot follow the above mentioned methods.)
All are methods to attain the superconscious states of cosmic consciousness.Each has to follow the ashtaangamaarga(the way of 8 steps.)The Raajayoga is especially prescribed for those who are adept yogis.Here the Raajayoga is described in some detail for those who are not aware of it.
Raajayoga.

Raajayoga has eight steps.It forms part of ancient Indian traditional system of medicine and philosophy which are inseparable.Of the eight steps ,the first two ,yama and niyama encompass the moral ethical codes of all the world religions and has the ten commandments (5 in yama and 5 in niyama).These are prescribed for all individuals,irrespective of caste,creed or sex,for a better way of living,peaceful and happy.
1.Yamam.
This includes
Ahimsa:one should not harm any living thing with deeds,words or mind.
Satyam –truthfulness.
Asteyam.Do not covet /steal other people’s belongings
Brahmacharyam. The state of celibacy and onepoited devotion to God.
Aparigraham.(do not receive gifts or bribes that will make you under obligation to others.
These five moral codes of conduct are essential for all people.

2.Niyamam


Of the rules(niyama)the first one is purely medical ,pertaining to the physical and mental cleanliness required by a yogi.
Shoucham. cleanliness of body by daily baths ,care of teeth and mouth etc are baahyashoucha or external cleanliness.Aantharashoucha(internal cleanliness)is cleaning your mind and thoughts from bad thoughts,lust,egocentric emotions,dual feelings etc.This will give you a equanimity in pain and pleasure.
Santhosham. Be contented with what we have and be happy always.When you have achieved this state you are beyond dualities like pain and pleasure.
Thapam. This is the control of your body and senses by selfeffort.Get mastery over the Id or the pleasure principle and the ego.By austerity(thapa)a thermostasis and homeostasis is attained by the brain so that it becomes quite and receptive to knowledge.
Swadhyaayam. The study of books/scriptures etc which help you to understand the transitory nature of the universe.You can resort to the veda,Upanishad,Gita,brahmasoothra,Koran,Bible, Dhammapath or any other scripture you feel like.Study the book you chose thouroughly an dthink about it,learn the truth of the universe,and then compare with the other scriptures and knowledge systems and arrive at a conclusion is the method of swaadhyaya or self study.
Iswarapranidhaanam.The total surrender to God /Guru .Guru is the embodiment of Iswara.Gurubhakthy is crucial for Naadalayayoga tradition of Indian Karnatic music like the other traditions of India.A living sadguru is considered as the living Avathaara of God in human form an dcomplete surrender to the Guru is equivalent to surrender to God.

3.Aasanam
There are 84 aasanaas described in yoga for the 84 types of Jeevakoti(lifeforms).There are Hathayogis who practice these for different types of sidhi(gains).Pathanjali prescribed “Sthirasukham aasanam”which means you can take a posture which is most comfortable to you and in which you don’t have the danger of falling or being disturbed by any external stimuli.It would be better if you can keep the spine straight so that the current can flow through the nerve centers in the spine uninterruptedly up and down from the moolaadhaara to the sahasraara.People have misunderstood that yoga means the yogaasana.This is not so.Aasana is only one of the 8 units of the yoga.A means adopted for an end.Most often those who practice aasana do not reach the endpoint of yoga(the laya or samadhi)the merging with the absolute truth.They get some minor sidhi or other and stops there .On the other hand ,even without practicing the acrobatic aasanaas ,one may have yogadarshana ,like the naadayogin Tyaagaraaja.

4.Prranaayaamam.
The control of the physical breath is popularly called praanaayaama.It also includes control of psychic breath ,the universal life principle ,the praana.The psychic method of control of Praana is by concentration on a particular subject.When mind is concentrated on a particular subject ,we forget our physical state ,our breathing stops naturally or the breathing becomes internal without external sign of life and we go into a samaadhi state.This can happen when you are concentrating on your lover,on your research subject,music or art,contemplating on your ishtadevatha,and so on.Hence praanaayaama naturally leads to Pratyaahaara ,the next stage or step in the yogasaadhana and then to the last 3 steps in order..

5.Pratyaahaara.

Now the mind is introspective.It is directed to one particular object ,say classical music(naadayoga).If you can hold the concentration onto it for twelve seconds then it becomes dhaarana.Needless to say that the object of concentration can be any art /science/idol/deity/symbol/name/manthra/or anything or anyone you are in love with.

6.Dhaarana

When you can hold mind on a particular object irrespective of all the external disturbances and difficulties around and think about it deeply ,then your mind is concentrated and it is dhaarana.You can have this not only in a particular aasana which is your practicing stage but also in a crowded busstop,train,in your own home in the midst of a thousand household duties ,just as the Gopis of vrindaavan experienced when they concentrated on Krishna.If the dhaarana persists for a certain length of time our mind flows to the object in an unbroken current ,as oil poured from one vessel to another ,as Pathanjali puts it.This is then called a meditation or dhyaanam.

7.Dhyaanam
Twelve dhaarana make up on edhyaanam.That is 144 seconds of uninterrupted concentration on one subject is called a dhyaanam or meditation.(2 minutes and 24 seconds is the minimum time of concentration on a subject to be called a dhyaanam).12 Such dhyaanams (144 X 12=1728 seconds)is a samadhi.1728 is the minimum number of seconds for a samadhi.It is the satyayuga number of Indians.And is related to astronomy,mathematics,music of the spheres and of the bioenergy fields.
1728 seconds mean 28 minutes and 40 seconds.(slightly less than half an hour)If you can concentrate your mind on a subject for this time period you are ready to pass on to samaadhi.
8.Samaadhi
The superconscious state that transcends the realm of the finite world where time and space vanish ,we go beyond words and thoughts ,to the foundation of all existence where all questions are answered and all doubts cleared.During saadhna,the saadhaka gets some powers or sidhi which are fascinating ,and they are not to be lured by them.They have to ignore the sidhy and proceed to the highest level where jeevaathma merge with paramaathma ,the God or the universal force.68 such sidhis are listed ,one among them being the healing power.That is why yoga is part of ayurveda,and of naadalaya.Both the musicians and the ayurveda physicians depended upon the praana and its healing powers.
All minds are part of the cosmic mind and healing power is latent in all minds.It manifest only in those who try or practice to get it.Budha,Krishna,Christ,Tyaagaraaja etc had it in them..When Jesus said,”Be thou whole” a leper was cured.Lazarus came into life with his beckoning.Kubja was cured by the touch of Krishna.He gave life to the embryo within the womb of princess Uthra by uttering the words”if I had been a Naishtic Brahmachaari throughout my life,let this seed come to life again.”

Just with a thought healing can occur.Thirugnaanasambandhar ,Tyaagaraaja,Vaidyanaathan shivan cured with their music .
The healing power of the naadalayayogi is made use of in Indian music therapy.

WHAT YOGA TEACHES.

Samatwam yoga uchyathe. Says the Gita.Pathanjali said, maithri,karuna,mudithopekshanam sukhadukha punyaapunya vishayaanaam bhaavana Thaschithaprasaadanam.

Friendship to the entire humanity ,mercy or compassion to all living/nonliving things ,content and happiness,indifference to dualities like pain and pleasure ,praise and scoldings gives one chithaprasaadam (peace and ecstasy of mind).Gita also says that the yogy goes to prasaadam(prasaadam adhigatchathi)Lakshmy,the consort of Vishnu in Lakshmy ashtotthara is prasaadaabhimukhim prabhaam.Prasaadam or divine ecstacy is present only in a healthy mind and body according to Ayurveda.The prasadam you get from the temple authorities is just a symbol of it and is nowhere near the prasaada you get from yourselves,through a devoted life.Direct the mind to a divine cause ,and we get prassada ,a state of perfect health and bliss,physical,mental,intellectual and spiritual.
Friendly attitude and compassion to all living things is natural to us but we have to cultivate it permanently .Christ said,”do unto others as you wish others would do unto you”.Thatmeans returning good for good.But he also said,to return good for evil.If anyone harms you,return good to them.Confucius ,Lao-tse,an dBudha taught the same.Vedantha and Upanishads taught it.The greatest benefactor to the world is the spiritual teacher who teaches to return good for evil.The one who teaches to love the people who harm us.That is why people all over the world love Budha,Christ etc.Christ was not a multimillionaire who could sign a cheque for a million dollar.But Rockfeller could.Yet we love Christ but not Rockfeller.We donot respect Budha because he was the son and heir of king Sudhodana.But because the prince abandoned his wealth and power to teach compassion to humanity,to love the entire creation as himself.

People say that Christ and Budha are exceptions and nobody can become like that.But science do not accept exceptions.If somebody can achieve something,that potential must be in all human beings as a biological heritage.It is a universal law of nature.If we try ,we can also do what the great teachers did.Provided it is done in the proper way.We should have experimental proof.Kapila and Pathanjali were scientists who did experiments on spirituality and came up with a universal system of practice and experimentation of spirituality.Pathanjali did the experiments done earlier by his ancestors before him and then codified the ways and the results.(data,in scientific language)and this rational philosophic and logical scientific method is still acceptable to the entire world.Because it is universal and anyone can experiment it and experience the change in oneself.The energy in us is harnessed and concentrated for doing good things in this world.What we experience in samaadhi is a revelation or a yogadarshan which changes your outlook,your personality for the better.A perfect state of peace is born in you,a Christ is born in you,as swami abhedaananada,a colleague and friend of swamy vivekaananda puts it,.

Yoga awakens kundalini,the mother of all higher perceptions .In the spinal cord there are centers for the different nerve plexuses.These anatomical centers are the chakraas of the yogi.It is through these chakraas the motor and sensory nerves branch out and go to different organs .There are sensory and motor centers and pathways for the heart,lungs,digestive organs,and so on.These nerve centers are radiant ,since nerve impulses are radiating from them and to them,as light rays from the sun.The lower end of the spine(moolaadhaara)or the sacral plexus and the highest center ,the sahasraara in the brain intercommunicate through the middle centers and electromagnetic currents pass through them always ,continuously .The efferent and afferent /centripetal and centrifugal forces cross each other and reach brain centers and hence the entire kundalini has the form of two coiled radiant ,respendent serpents .

When yogi regulates vibrations of molecules in the body ,they vibrate in harmony with the rhythm of the praana ,generate the strong currents and the yogic body becomes something like a gigantic battery and that is why a room where the yogi sits is vibrating with good vaasanaas and everyone feels the vibrations.The physical is transmuted to the mental ,intellectual ,spiritual and vice versa ,because they are not different forces but different manifestations of the same force.Just as heat,light,and electromagnetism are interchangeable forms of the same energy .The difference is only in degree.In sunlight there is electricity,magnetism,soundwaves,xray,gamma ray,laser and photons,bosons,and fermions.The current emanating from a yogi also contain these vibrating forces of the highest order.This is in relation to the harmonious rhythm of the universe .We talk of rhythm ,and hence the naadayoga which is really control of praana itself.The state is attainable easily by nadayogi who concentrates on Karnaatic music.The music allow us toget the same vibrations which were felt by the ancient seers and yogins.For this the musician should have complete an dperfect samyama and control of senses and the listener also should have this.Lya is attained in the superconscious state which is the full manifestation of pure consciousness .Dhaarana or holding the mind on a certain subject by constant practice(saadhakam)an ddhyaana on it takes the musician to a state of perfect samaadhi or superconsciousness.Vishnu or Krishna ,the embodiment of saamaveda ,is the naadabrahman,which merges with the saadhaka .There are many other paths that a saadhaka can take.The path of love and devotion (bhakthy)allow you to concentrate on a personal God (or impersonal_).The idol is only a pratheeka(symbol)or prathima on which you concentrate to reach the absolute.Every idolworshipper knows that.One can give a name to that lover-may it be Krishna,shive,devi,Christ,or allah or whichever name you like.It could even be contemplated as nothingness without name or form.
The path of karma allows one to concentrate on one’s work,profession and achieve excellance in it.the path of gnaana makes one concentrate on research activities and enquiry into truth.But each has the same goal though the methods differ,and if we realize this there is no controversy or rivalry in religions .Whatever is the path ,the ultimate experience is sruthilaya.Sruthi also means veda.Laya also means merging.Hence this word has a meaning applicable to both vedanthins and naadalayayogins practicing music.The jeeva has to merge with Paramaathma.The revelation Aham brahmaasmi is the laya state.It is the anal Haq of the sufi.Knowing is being.Brahmavid Brahmaiva bhavathy.Says vedaantha.Hence yoga is a scienc eof attaining the perfect state.But there are many people whopractice yoga to get some desired results ,and their number is increasing day by day.People practice yoga to pass time ,to run business,to cure disease,etc.These are only some results that come during the process of doing the yoga and are not the ultimate aims of yoga.

A few donts in yoga life.

eat pure desirable food which is nourishing and which will keep your body and mind in good condition since body is the boat that helps you to cross the ocean of life and death.Food makes your organs healthy,and as the organs get finer ,the perceptions get finer too.
Avoid the company of people who will drag your concentration away from your goal.Like people who are immersed inphysical pleasures.People with strong id personalities,people with strong ego personalities etc.Try to have company of people with superego and self personalities.(those who respect the elders and the ancestors,the teachers,and those who lead a simple life and have high thinking)This is called sathsangam(company of the noble people).
Give up arguments that distract your mind.Do not discuss spiritual lessons and instructions with people who do not want them .Let them find out paths suitable for themselves.Do not force your views on others.If there people who wants to force their views on you,just leave their cpcompany.
Spirituality is not a mere study of books and scriptures.Though that will help you in spiritual progress .It is not mere temple/mosque/church/gurudwaara going either.It is not mere observances of customs dogmas and codes of conduct laid by various religions .It is a constant ideal,an urge within you.Just all radii of a circle meet at the center ,all rivers meet the ocean ,all ideals of all living things merge with the center ,the God or the universal force/sakthy .The only difference is that we use different methods.different courses.Respect everybody’s ideal,every body’s method,have friendly and compassionate thoughts to everyone,and do not disturb world peace or peace of society we live in ,by our words,deeds or thoughts.

Prakaasha and vimarsha
Our mind is part of the universe(prakrithy).It has two aspects ,the prakaasha and vimarsha.Prakasha is the all resplendent state of energy where we do not feel any movement or vibration and this is the nirvikalpa or niraakaara ,nirayana state of Brahman.It may look like empty /zero because it has no spacetime,movement,cause and effect etc.
Vimarsham is the vibrating aspect ,moving ,everchanging,with a rhythm of its own ,making universal laws possible.This aspect is experiencable by us.It may be an immeadiate fresh experience (present-varthamaana-jaagrad)old memories(past or bhootha,smrithy)and mental coordination of all such experiences(anusandhaanam).Sushupthy is Prakaasha or nirvikalpa,and jaagrad is savikalpa,saayana state of mind and of universe.Darshans during sushupthy and samaadhi are actually the visions of the self ,which is still and meditative in an alpha,theta brain wave state.Because of this the yogi constantly watches himself in sushupthy and samaadhi states and records th evisions that come to him so that he can understand his personality and the world around better.
Everything is energy.E=MC2.everything is everywhere .(sarvam sarvaathmakam .Pathanjali).Yogic and sleep darshans were systematically analysed by our ancestors in India,China,Egypt,Babylonia,and Assyria,and this science is now coming back into the world of science as Psychoanalysis of dreams(Freud and Jung).Whenever there is creativity there is vibration or movement..But it is the movementless state of samaadhi which gives you potential to become a creator.If movement is creativity,it is created by the movementless.These two are called the female and male principles.Both coexist.Samaadhi is an experience beyond all vibrations,all measures,all words,and thoughts and nirvana is this state of perfect consciousness from which flow all creations ,all vibrations,all with name and form.Therefore,we cant separate male /female.shiva/sakthy,and they are inseparable twins.The object of the realization is first a samavaakya(equation)and an equation is ultimately an identity.Sankara explans this with only 3 concepts.Brahma,Jeeva,and Jagath.
1.Brahma=truth
2.Suppose jagath =illusion.
3.Jeeva=a part of jagath=Brahma.
4.Therefore ,Brahma=jeeva=Jagath=Truth.
5.Or it has to be Brahma=jeeva=jagath=illusion.
Either the 4th or th e5th equation has to be true.We as Jeevaathmaas feel we exist,and the universe exist,and therefore for us,jeeva and the aorld exist (are truths)Therefore,we can come to the conclusion that the 4th equation is truth,and that the second supposition 9equation 2)and equation 5 derived out of it has to be false.In this way,the aasthiks(the one who says that everything exist-asthi)come to the conclusion that there is existence of a God or Brahma.,
I don’t say that I don’t exist,and that I am an illusion or that the world around me does not exist.Therefore,I as a jeeva is truth,and hence the prakrithi of which I am part is also truth.This being true to all living and nonliving things,I mathematically give equations as above and philosophically assert the view as,
Sarvam khalidam Brahma.
Aham Brahmaasmi.
Sarvam Brahmamayam.
Isavaasyam idam sarvam.

All matter is energy and there is nothing but energy and energy is the truth (satyam)and light(chith).In the equations the harmonious merging of jeeva with the absolute in samaadhi ,or in sushupthy (praagna0is shown.It is the direct experience of a perfect yogi.Therefore ,understand yoga as a perfect method of attaining self realization of the highest order by direct perception.All veda,vedaatha,and religions of the world ,spiritual experiments of various people and scientific researchers in every part of the world depend upon the solid rock of concentrating our energy on an idea or subject and that is what yoga is all about.Do not misunderstand it as a series of acrobatics or physical training alone.That makes only one of the steps of the yoga.Even without that people can achieve samadhi,and be a true yogi.