ANANDAKAPILA'S NOTES TO SELECT STUDENTS VOL VI NO 5 Saturday, March 08, 2008

March 8, 2008

" Nature imitates herself. A grain thrown into good groundbrings forth fruit; a principle thrown into a good mindbrings forth fruit. Everything is created and conductedby the same Master -- the root, the branch, the fruits,

the principles, the consequences. " - Blaise Pascal l (1623-1662, French scientist, religious philosopher) " One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better. "

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662, French scientist, religious philosopher)

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HARI OM!

We need to tidy up the concept of "Aparigraha" by giving the translation from Patanjali's original Sanskrit – while most students are familiar with the concept of "Yamas" many have not been exposed to the actual Sutra in full and such translations reveal the esoteric inner life meaning.

As usual we will take interpretations and translations from three great masters spanning over a century. The translation of the actual Sutra is bolded while the commentary is not and is only a selection rather than the entire commentary.

"When he is fixed in non-receiving, he gets the memory of past life."

"When a man does not receive presents he does not become beholden to others, but remains independent and free. His mind becomes pure"

II. 38 Yoga Sutras, Swami Vivekananda Translation and commentary (1863-1902) originally published as "Raja Yoga: Conquering the internal Nature" late 18oo's.

"On becoming steady in non-possessiveness, there arises the knowledge of how and from where birth (comes)."

"It means giving up the tendency to accumulate objects of utility and enjoyment. This keeps the mind unoccupied and also he does not have to worry about anything because there is nothing there to be protected.

After deconditioning the mind sufficiently the aspirant can have other comforts such as chair, table and so on if he has to do special kinds of work.

Thus Aparigraha is a temporary course of sadhana in an aspirant's life. If this particular sadhana is continued beyond reasonable limits, it gives rise to weakness and obsession."

II. 38 Yoga Sutras, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Translation and commentary, Yoga Publications Trust, Munger, Bihar, India, 1976

Next week I will reveal the inner rationale behind the Yamas within the framework of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga and the esoteric implications of "Aparigraha" as granting the boon of "memory of past life."

Beginning the summary of the Yamas Dr. Swami Yogamaharishi Gitananda Giri elucidates plainly the implication in his "The Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali" (Satya Press, ICYER, Tamil Nadu, India 1999) which is relevant in 2008 and into the foreseeable future.

"Without a conscious effort to restrain the lower animal nature, we will slip back from our gifted state as an embodied human entity. The practice of Yama or moral restraint will hold us to the human incarnation which may have taken thousand of lifetimes and millions of years to achieve. "devolution" is a fact as evident in the animal-like conduct of many individuals in the world today."

Finally the purpose of the Yamas as a desirable universal bedrock has perhaps never been summed up more clearly than Dr. Ananda's statement:

"Even when we are unable to live the yama and niyama completely, even the attempt by us to do so will bear fruit and make each one of us a better person and help us to be of value to those around us and a valuable person to live with in our family and society. These are values which need to be introduced to the youth in order to make them aware and conscious of these wonderful concepts of daily living which are qualities to be imbibed with joy and not learnt with fear or compulsion.

The parents can by example show their children the importance of these qualities and when the children see the good examples of their parents living there principles they will surely follow suit sooner than later."