Cultivating Loneliness: The Ethical Fragrance of Yoga

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Cultivating Loneliness: The Ethical Fragrance of Yoga

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In Sir Richard Attenborough's film Gandhi, one poignant scene

fails to leave the memory. The setting is somewhere in eastern

India, just after the nation achieved independence (1947).

Rampant rioting had broken out between Hindus and Muslims, and

the worst face of humanity, seething with hatred, was visible

everywhere. In this moment of madness, Mahatma Gandhi entered the

city. We are shown how the violent perpetrators threw down their

weapons at his feet. All the while, the great Mahatma, weak and

frail, did not utter a word, but lay still, eyes alert and open,

peacefully on a cot. His presence merely was reason enough for

the arsonists to surrender their arms, without any residual

resentment.

 

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This deeply symbolic episode reminds one of the immortal words of

Patanjali:

 

"When an individual is firmly established in non-violence

(ahimsa), all beings who come near him also cease to be hostile."

(2.35)

 

Patanjali is the author of the de facto text of yoga - 'The Yoga

Sutra.'

 

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A sutra literally means a thread and according to the medieval

saint Vallabhacharya: "A sutra is a string binding together many

gems in a necklace."

 

The Padma Purana defines a sutra as following:

 

"A sutra should have few alphabets (alpa-akshara), an unambiguous

meaning, be full of essence (sara-yukta), said only after

considering all arguments for and against it, infallible and

without blemish."

 

Patanjali's text is made up of 195 such sutras, characterized by

brevity and conciseness (laghuta), giving rise to a mnemonic

scheme which attempts to condense as much meaning as possible

into as few words as possible. Consider for example the

following:

 

"The pain (dukha) which is yet to come is to be avoided." (2.16)

 

 

Building a Better Future Through Present Moment Awareness

 

The crisp statement quoted above is simple enough. It is however,

loaded with profound philosophical import, encapsulating within

itself, the entire karma theory and its subtle nuances.

 

This sutra implies that the fruits of our former deeds have been

exhausted by the suffering we have already undergone. Therefore,

nothing can be gained by thinking about it. The pain we are

experiencing at the present moment has already passed into the

past, even as we are reading this. Hence, it is only the sorrow

which is to come in the future that we can avoid, by ensuring the

ethical purity of the karma we are performing now.

 

Patanjali's scripture not only provides yoga with a thorough and

consistent philosophical basis, but in the process, also

clarifies many important esoteric concepts (like karma), common

to all traditions of Indian thought.

 

Patanjali himself is believed to be an incarnation of the serpent

Ananta (Skt: endless), well known in Indian mythology as the

thousand-headed naga who serves as a couch for Lord Vishnu and is

also the guardian of the world's treasures.

 

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Desiring to teach yoga to the world, he fell (pat) from heaven

into the open palms (anjali) of a woman, hence the name

Patanjali.

 

His many heads signify omnipresence and since yoga is a treasure

trove par excellence it is but natural that he be the one to

disperse it for the benefit of mankind.

 

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The terse maxims making up Patanjali's text are divided into four

chapters, representing a progressive succession on the path to

enlightenment, the last being aptly labeled 'Kaivalya Pada' or

the chapter of "liberation." Thus it covers the entire spiritual

path from novice to final nirvana. Underlying the text is a

strong ethical current, and cultivation of a positive state of

mind along with virtuous conduct are both considered necessary

pre-requisites for success along the yogic path.

 

 

Towards a Non-Violent World

 

We have already seen, from the example of Mahatma Gandhi, how the

fragrance of one deeply established in non-violence (ahimsa),

affects favorably those near him or her. This is also echoed in

the incident where the Buddha, when confronted by a rampaging

elephant, managed to pacify the latter by just raising his right

hand. This gesture later came to be known as the Abhaya mudra

(posture of fearlessness).

 

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Literally, the word himsa means violence and the prefix 'a'

negates it. Actually, its essence runs deeper and connotes a

complete absence of a desire to harm others, directly or

indirectly.

 

Violence can be of three types:

 

a). Done by oneself

 

b). Got done by another

 

c). Approved when done by other.

 

 

Each of the above can again be of the following kinds:

 

1). Violence because of greed, for example killing of an animal

for its meat and skin (lobha).

 

2). Through anger, if we feel the other has wronged us in some

manner (krodha).

 

3). Through delusion (moha), thinking for example that by

sacrificing animals in rituals we can acquire merit.

 

 

Ahimsa is mentioned as one of the five basic ethical precepts,

which must be first cultivated for purifying and calming the

mind, as a stepping-stone towards ultimate enlightenment.

 

These five fundamental moral instructions (2.30) are:

 

a). Ahimsa

 

b). Satya (Truthfulness)

 

c). Asteya (Non-stealing): Not coveting what rightfully belongs

to another.

 

d). Brahmacharya (Celibacy)

 

e). Aparigraha (Non-hoarding of material objects): A few people

having control over the majority of the world's resources leads

to unequal distribution. Someone may own several empty mansions,

even while there are many who do not have a ceiling over their

heads. Similarly, godowns may be overflowing with grain even as

people die of starvation in many parts of the world.

 

Indeed, from a point of view, all the five represent an

injunction against some sort of violence or the other (often even

sex is considered a violent act). No wonder, the Mahabharata

extols this virtue in a grand manner:

 

'Ahimsa is the greatest dharma. Ahimsa is the highest

self-restraint. Ahimsa is the greatest charity (dana). Ahimsa is

the highest penance (tapas). Ahimsa is the highest sacrifice

(yajna). Ahimsa is the greatest fruit. Ahimsa is the greatest

friend and ahimsa is the highest happiness (sukham).'

(Anushasanparva: 116: 38-39)

 

 

Vision of a Universal Humanity

 

Patanjali's is a far-sighted vision of universal humanity; a

perspective much relevant to the world of today, torn apart as it

is by sectarian strifes. He clearly states that the above

practices are to be applied without the limitations of social or

geographic conditions or any consideration of time and

circumstance:

 

"These are universal and great vows (maha-vrata). They must be

practised without any reservations as to species (jati), place,

time, or sense of duty." (2.31)

 

Again, for example, consider the first vow of ahimsa. A fisherman

may say that he would kill nobody except fish, thus limiting his

violence to a particular species only. Or, another would put it

thus: I will not kill at a place of pilgrimage," or, "I will not

kill on the day of Diwali since it is sacred," (time). A

kshatriya (warrior) may similarly justify killing on a

battlefield on grounds of duty. All of the above are unacceptable

to Patanjali.

 

These moral attitudes are meant to bring our impulsive life under

control. The desire not to harm others is an essential ingredient

in cultivating a mental state recognizing the essential unity

underlying all living beings, leading towards ultimate mystical

union, envisaged as the final goal of yoga.

 

>From I-It to I-Thou - Martin Buber and Patanjali's Yoga

 

The ethical precepts enumerated above have all a social

implication, i.e. they involve a 'violence' perpetrated by one on

another for selfish gains. By helping us rechannel our powerful

survival instincts, these five practices enable us to outgrow our

"I-ness" which according to the eminent philosopher Martin Buber

is dependent on our encounters with others. He calls such a

relationship, based solely on self-interest as "I-it". For him,

it is desirable that such an engagement evolves into an "I-Thou"

involvement, which is a direct, non-purposive encounter. In

Buber's scheme, god is the ultimate thou (situated in our own

depths according to yoga).

 

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After first helping us transcend our ego (I-ness), by regulating

our social interactions through moral discipline, Patanjali next

suggests ways in which the psychophysical energy thus freed can

be further harnessed to take the yogi to the next level.

 

If the first pentad of rules gives a positive restraint to our

relationship with others, the following five (2.32), address our

individuality, finally detaching the yogi from the outside world,

situating him into his own, inner self:

 

1). Purification (shaucha)

 

2). Contentment (santosha)

 

3). Penance (tapas)

 

4). Self-Study of sacred texts (svadhyaya)

 

5). Surrender to God (Ishvara pranidhana)

 

 

The Results of These Five Individual Disciplines

 

"(Attempts towards) Physical purification leads to disenchantment

with one's own body" (2.40). This is because however hard we try

to cleanse it, our bodily functions are bound to generate

impurity continually.

 

"Contentment leads to unsurpassed happiness." (2.42)

 

"Tapas destroys impurity and leads to fulfillment of the body and

sense-organs" (2.43). The sense organs and the body both depend

on the external world for their gratification. When they are thus

fulfilled, and have served their purpose, the yogi has no

attachment left for the world.

 

"Self-study leads to union with the desired deity

(ishta-devata)." (2.44) Such an individual has no need for

external aids to achieve his spiritual purpose.

 

"Surrendering oneself wholly to god leads to perfection of

samadhi." (2.45) Samadhi is a state where the yogi remains super

consciously absorbed, oblivious to the outside world.

 

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Patanjali's Method of Cultivating the Contrary

 

Things however, are not simple. There are many distractions on

the path of yoga. Patanjali suggests a solution which is almost

poetic in its simplicity, but awesome in its implications:

 

"When bothered by distractions, opposing thoughts must be

cultivated." (2.33)

 

"Cultivating opposing thoughts means realizing that distractions

such as violence, greed etc, result only in pain and suffering."

(2.34)

 

On our way to yogic achievement, we may be beseeched by tempting

thoughts having the power to deviate us. We can be enamored by a

corrupt neighbor, who has succeeded in amassing a significant

wealth, while we toil away with honesty without any apparent

reward. In such moments, it is helpful to think about the

extremely strong punishments scriptures lay down for those

acquiring money unethically.

 

This is not however, a negative subjugation of mental cravings,

but rather, a neutralization of distractions by cultivating

equally strong thoughts and a healthy reflection that such

actions eventually lead to unhealthy consequences. This is the

positive impact of what Patanjali calls contrary thinking

(prati-paksha-bhavana).

 

 

Loneliness - The Final Liberation

 

"Loneliness is the way by which destiny endeavors to lead man to

himself." - (Hermann Hesse)

 

"Loneliness vanishes completely in the stillness." - (Paul

Brunton)

 

Having successfully laid the ethical foundation enjoined by

Patanjali, the adept is now poised towards the ultimate goal -

liberation. Patanjali however, doesn't denote this culmination

with conventional labels like 'moksha' or 'nirvana'. He calls it

'kaivalya,' derived from the word 'keval', meaning 'only'.

 

This is the detached isolation that those lucky amongst us feel

in a crowd. Yoga guru B.K.S. Iyengar describes it as an absolute

state of aloneness. It is living in constant communion with a

higher reality centered within our own selves - the ultimate

fulfillment of yogic practice.

 

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References and Further Reading:

 

Aranya, Swami Hariharananda. Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with

Bhasvati (5th ed.): Calcutta, 2000.

 

Bharati, Swami Veda. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with the Exposition

of Vyasa - A Translation and Commentary (Sadhana Pada) (2nd ed.):

Delhi, 2004.

 

Buber, Martin. Between Man and Man (5th ed.): London and New

York, 2004.

 

Chapple, Christopher Key. Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self

in Asian Traditions: Delhi, 1995.

 

Chapple, Christopher and Yogi Anand Viraj. The Yoga Sutras of

Patanjali: An Analysis of the Sanskrit with Accompanying English

Translation: Delhi, 1990.

 

Feuerstein, Georg. The Yoga Tradition - Its History, Literature,

Philosophy and Practice: Delhi, 2002.

 

Goyandka, Harikrishandas. Patanjal Yoga Darshan (30th ed.):

Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

Isherwood, Christopher and Swami Prabhavananda. Patanjali Yoga

Sutras (Translated with a New Commentary): Chennai, 2004.

 

Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (8th ed.):

New Delhi, 2003.

 

Jones, Lindsay (ed). Encyclopedia of Religion (Previously Edited

by Mircea Eliade) 15 volumes: MI, 2005.

 

Karambelkar, Dr. P.V. Patanjala Yoga Sutras: Pune.

 

Karnatak, Dr. Vimla. A Critical Study of the Patanjala Yoga

Sutras in the Light of its Commentators (Hindi): Varanasi, 1974.

 

Karnatak, Dr. Vimla. Patanjal Yoga Darshanam (4 vols.): Varanasi,

1992.

 

Mahabharata (Sanskrit Text with English Translation by M.N. Dutt)

(9 vols.): Delhi, 2004.

 

Naikar, Chandramouli S. Patanjali of Yogasutras (Makers of Indian

Literature Series): New Delhi, 2002.

 

Osho. Discourses on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (10 vols.):

Delhi and Pune.

 

Rukmani, T.S. Yogasutrabhasyavivarana of Sankara (2 vols.):

Delhi, 2001.

 

Rukmani, T.S. Yogavarttika of Vijnanabhiksu (4 vols.): Delhi,

1981.

 

Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Four Chapters on Freedom: Commentary

on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (6th ed.): Munger, 2002.

 

Shrivastav, Dr. Sureshchandra. Patanjala Yoga Darshana along with

Vyasabhashya and Yogasiddhi Hindi Commentary (2nd ed.): Varanasi,

2002.

 

Swami, Shree Purohit. Patanjali's Path to Yoga (3rd ed): New

Delhi, 2005.

 

Tirtha, Shri Swami Omanand. Patanjal Yog Pradeep (23rd ed.):

Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

Yardi, M.R. The Yoga of Patanjali (2nd ed.): Poona, 1996.

 

Yoga-Ank (Special Issue on Yoga of the spiritual magazine Kalyan)

(6th ed.): Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

Zubko, Andy. Treasury of Spiritual Wisdom: Delhi, 2004.

 

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Nitin G.