Yoga Charcha-Yogic Psychology, by Neeraj Korde
To remind the reader Yoga Charcha is an informal discussion of Yoga literature. In this article we try to explore the analysis of human behaviour as written by Patanjali and other sages in Yogic literature. In this article we quote excerpts from Iyengar’s Light on Yoga. We will find that this analysis is oriented towards making progress in yoga. Nevertheless we can find spiritual guidance that will help us in our daily routines or sansarik jeevan.
Chitta Vritti(Modification of Mind)In the last edition of yoga charcha we hinted that Yoga tries to free us from the unending cycle of pain and pleasure. Expanding on that, Iyengar writes that there are five reasons for chitta vritti (modification of mind).
1. Pramana(a standard or an ideal) against which we measure things or values using our or other’s perception, inference skills.
2. Viparyaya - a belief found out to be false
3. Vikalpa – Fancy or imagination
4. Nidra – sleep
5. Smriti – memory of past events.
It is interesting to note that jealousy works through pramana. After all jealousy arises by comparison and pramana sets the standard for comparison. We often compare objects of desire that we possess with those that we do not, causing much frustration or pleasure. But even this pleasure we feel is short-lived. We all know that the world has ways to get ahead of anyone. What gives us immense pleasure through pramana today will cause deep sorrow tomorrow for sure.
Iyengar gives the example of the old belief of sun rotating around the earth as an example of viparyaya. In our humble lives, we can find smaller examples like making a wrong investment or using the wrong strategy to tackle a problem. In other words viparyaya can be thought of as a manifestation of knowledge or ignorance.
A simple example of vikalpa would be dreaming. We all dream about things that we have always wanted but could not get. Such dreams obviously arise from our craving for things. Dreaming often brings us a little happiness till reality blows away the clouds of dreams around us.
Nidra, referring to sleep can be generalized to a relaxed more receptive state of mind. Hence when we wake up after a good sleep we are fresh and happy. Lack of sleep or sleeping uncomfortably leaves us irritated and unfocused. In general we can say inadequate relaxation is a valid cause for chitta vrtti.
Smriti – ‘The good old days are no more’ this oft repeated sentence succinctly explains this. The way smriti or memory of past events causes happiness or sadness is through applying pramana of the present to past events. The good old days or the bad old days are good or bad depending on the present. Hence chitta vritti caused by smriti can be said to be tightly related to pramana.Iyengar beautifully explains, “as a breeze ruffles the surface of a lake and distorts the images reflected therein, so also the chitta vritti disturbs the peace of the mind. The still waters of the lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it. The yogi stills his mind by constant study and freeing himself of desires.”
Chitta Vikshepa(Distractions and obstacles)
Iyengar gives simple yet effective illustrations for the distractions and obstacles in a yogi’s path.
1. Vyadhi – sickness which disturbs the physical equilibrium. If his vehicle breaks down the traveler cannot go far. Physical health is important for yoga even if we think of yoga as just mental or spiritual development. The mind functions through the nervous system. If the body becomes sick, it affects the nerves and meditation etc… become impossible.
2. Styana – languor or lack of mental disposition for work. This is caused by lack of a goal. Constant flow keeps a stream pure but water in a ditch stagnates and nothing good can flourish in it. A clear and fixed goal can provide all the required motivation which will lead to mental, physical and spiritual development.
3. Samsay – doubt or indecision. The unwise, the faithless and the doubter destroy themselves. The seeker should have faith in himself and his master. He should have faith that God is ever by his side and will protect him. As faith springs up in the heart it dries out lust, ill-will, mental sloth, spiritual pride and doubt. The heart then becomes free from these hindrances and becomes serene and untroubled.
4. Pramada – A person suffering from pramada is full of self-importance, lacks any humility and believes he alone is wise. No doubt he knows what is right or wrong but because of selfishness will act in the wrong ways.
5. Alasya – laziness. (We all are very familiar with this one so lets read this one carefully) To get over alasya, unflagging enthusiasm is needed. The attitude of the aspirant is like that of a lover ever yearning to meet his beloved but never giving way to despair. Hope should be his shield and courage his sword. He should be free from hate and sorrow.
6. Avirati – This is the tremendous craving for sensory objects after they have been consciously abandoned, which is so hard to restrain. By the practise of pratyahara he wins freedom from attachment and emancipation from desire and becomes content and tranquil.
7. Bhranti Darshan – A person afflicted by false or invalid knowledge suffers from delusion and believes that he alone has seen the true light. He has a powerful intellect but lacks humility and makes a show of wisdom. By remaining in the company of great souls and through their guidance he sets his foot firmly on the right path and overcomes his weakness.
8. Alabdha Bhumikatva – As a mountain climber fails to reach the summit for lack of stamina, so also a person who cannot overcome the inability to concentrate is unable to seek salvation. He is like a musician who has heard divine music in a dream but cannot recall it when he wakes up.
9. Anavashthitattva – A person affected with anavashthitattva has by hard work come within the sight of reality. Happy and proud of his achievements he becomes slack in his practice. Even at this last stage he must never show slackness which hampers progress on the path of God realization.Well, that’s a lot of problems to overcome. Also we will recognize that these obstacles are universal in nature no matter what your aim is, to be a yogi or to be a researcher or to be an artist. All of us have a few aims that we haven’t been able to achieve and the above listing provides us a good way to analyze the reasons for our failure. So much for failure, how about a recipe for success? Patanjali prescribes the four fold remedy of Maitri(friendliness), Karuna(compassion), Mudita(delight) and Upeksha(disregard). Let us see how Iyengar illustrates them.
Maitri is not mere friendliness, but also a feeling on oneness with the object of friendliness (atmiyata). A mother feels intense happiness at the success of her child because of her atmiyata. The yogi finds happiness through maitri and atmiyata for the noble cause and turns enemies into friends.Karuna is not merely showing pity or compassion and shedding tears at the misery of others. It is compassion coupled with devoted action to relieve the misery of others. He shares his strength with the weak until they become strong, his courage with the timid until they become brave.
Mudita is a feeling of delight at the good work (punya) done by another, even though he may be a rival. Through mudita, the yogi saves himself from much heart-burning by not showing anger, hatred or jealousy for another who has reached the desired goal which he himself has failed to achieve.
Upeksha: A yogi does not have a feeling of disdain, indifference or superiority towards a person who has fallen into vice(apunya). He examines himself to find how one might have behaved when faced with the same temptations. He also sees how far one is responsible for the state into which the unfortunate one has fallen and the attempt thereafter to put him on the right path.
It can be seen that a yogi finds joy not in material comforts but in social emancipation. These days when our primary means of deriving joy is limited to owning tech-gadgets and fancy clothes maybe we should reexamine our priorities and redefine our goals. Many organizations do exist which engage in selfless service for society’s upliftment (like Hindu Yuva of course). Maybe we can donate some of our time and effort to experience yogic joy.
Sisya and Guru (The student and the teacher)
The guru-sisya relationship is very different from the teacher-student relationship that one finds in modern schools and colleges. The syllable gu means darkness and ru means light. He alone is guru who removes darkness and brings enlightenment. He is a spiritual teacher who teaches a way of life, not merely a means of earning livelihood.Qualities of guru and sisya—A guru is free from egotism. He devotedly leads his sisya towards the path to enlightenment. He keeps a close watch on the sisya and leads him along the way. He inspires confidence, devotion, discipline, illumination and deep understanding through love. He encourages the sisya to ask questions and know the truth by question and analysis.
The sisya in turn must have confidence, love and devotion for his guru. The sisya should hunger for knowledge and display humility, perseverance and tenacity. He should not go to the guru just out of curiosity but possess sraddha (dynamic faith) and should not be discouraged if he cannot reach the goal in the time he expected. It requires tremendous patience to calm the restless mind which is colored by past experiences. The sisya should above all treasure love, moderation and humility. Love begets courage, moderation creates abundance and humility creates power. Courage without love is brutish. Abundance without moderation leads to over-indulgence and decay. Power without humility leads to arrogance and tyranny.
I have observed that the guru-sisya relationship as described above is closer to the present day student-teacher relationship in the field of arts than say technology. Possibly because arts involve interaction on a level which is highly influenced by spiritual inclination of the aspiring artist on which the guru-sisya tradition lays a lot of emphasis. Unfortunately in modern India this ancient revered guru-sisya tradition is apparently just maintained only by families of spiritual leaders and artists who have been teaching classical arts for generations. Would adopting this tradition for education in the mainstream fields of engineering and medical fields add value to the current system? The student teacher relationship for graduate studies in present-day research institutions seems similar to the guru-sisya tradition simply because of closer interaction between the teacher and the student. For those who have experienced graduate education, imagine learning at that level right from your first day in school ! The sisya’s progress would be more complete and rapid. I believe adoption of this tradition will create a stronger nation in all possible ways. Next month we will continue exploring the guru-sisya parampara in more detail.
Neeraj Korde is a software engineer based in Seattle. You can reach him at nkorde@gmail.com
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