PRAISE OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY IN VEDAS
The Divine Word Yoga is generated from dhatu-Yuj Samadhau which means Samadhi and from Yujir Yoge which means to be united with God. Samadhi means realization of God or final liberation. Now days so many kinds of Yoga are being introduced in the public like Hath yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, Gyan yoga, Naad yoga, Laya yoga, Swar yoga, shatang yoga, Raj yoga, Dhayan yoga, Jap yoga etc. As stated in the previous lecture no 5, these different kinds of yoga interpretations are not mentioned in four Vedas and six Shastras and other ancient spiritual books written by the ancient Rishis / Munis before Mahabharata war about more than five thousand years ago.Therefore, it is very much clear that our ancient Rishis, Munis practised only one Ashtang Yoga with its eight fold paths i.e; Yama, Niyama, Aasan, Pranayam, Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhayan and Samadhi stated in the most authenticated and ancient holy books viz. Four Vedas and Patanjali yoga Darshan etc. Yajur veda mantra 7/4 and Patanjali Yoga Darshan sutra 2/29 preaches all about the said Ashtang Yoga in token and its brief description will be given in the following lectures.
Perhaps Eight Fold Paths Of The Ashtang Yoga Not Being Preached Fully Now:
It is a matter of sorrow that somewhere only one path of Ashtang Yoga i.e., Aasan is being introduced as Yoga education unethically being against the ancient holy books like four Vedas and Yoga Darshan etc. Again, somewhere only meditation is being called Yoga knowledge, where as it is only the seventh path i.e., Dhayan of the Ashtang Yoga.Thus where only Aasan is being taught there the first two paths Yama and Niyama and the last five paths i.e,Pranayam Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhayan Samadhi have been excluded from the ancient and authenticated well known eight fold paths of
Ashtang yoga at one’s own accord. Similarly where only meditation is being taught as yoga Philosophy, naturally, the seven remaining paths of Ashtang yoga have been omitted. Now a days usually sadhus define Yoga education merely to sit, to remember the Holy name of God and concentrate at one point. This one is not a theory of the above said AshtangYoga. However this is the silent repetition of a Mantra/God’s name and should be done separately while sitting on suitable Aasan (posture). This omission from Ashtang Yoga education has created a lot of misunderstanding with regards to the great Indian Vedic philosophy of Yoga knowledge all over the world. However, to do the Aasan only may help to promote our health to some extent but cannot bless us with peace and other divine qualities like salvation briefed in previous lectures .
DEFINITION OF A PREFECT YOGI :-
When a devotee learns Ashtang Yoga Philosopy (from Yama to Samadhi) under guidence and blessing of an experienced Yogi, he is merged in practicing the eight fold path of Yoga philosophy step by step.Thus after long practice when he becomes able to control his five senses(ear, nose, eyes, tongue, skin)and five organs (hands, mouth, legs, rectum and sex)and eleventh the mind,then with the result he controls the chitta-vritti reaching at seventh fold path i.e., Dhayan (meditation).At this stage the devotee becomes purified keeping aside sex, anger etc., and worldly materialistic dirts. In this purified condition with the bliss of Almighty God he attains the eighth and final liberation stage of Samadhi (Yoga), where his soul realizes him and the Almighty God therein .This utmost merriment and final liberation stage of soul is called Samadhi(Yoga). Vyas Muni, Vashisht Muni, Rishi Vishwamitra and so many other Rishis mentioned in Mahabharta,Valmiki Ramayana,Tulsi Das’s Ramayana,Shashtras and Upnishads are recognized as true Samadhi attained Yogis traditionally at present perhaps,the said tradition looks over .In this connection Tulsi Das ji very rightly has shown sorrow in Uttarkand couplet 99(ka) that now a days oftenly the saints who have left the true path of Yoga and Vedas do not talk less than on the matter of Braham Gyan whereas they do not know about it.So called saints mostly have created their own paths of worships against Vedas and truth.Tulsi further states in verses about the effect of present time(Kalyug)that so called saints are having long-long beards and hairs,thief of others money with tacts,tell lie and mostly make spending fun.Tulsi Das ji tells that in Kalyug those saints who have these type of qualities are mostly praised and are famous to be a Braham Gyani (Yogi) .Only at the stage when a true Yogi like Vishwamirtra, Guru Vashisht etc., Yajur Veda mantra 5/14 recite
yunjte man yut yunjte—
i.e., the said Yogi places his mind / chitta in Almighty God and realizes the utmost merriment. In Yajur Veda mantra 31/
Aham ved Mahantam purushah–
i. e., the Yogi realizes God, the God who is self enlightened.Yajur Veda mantra 34/44 recites that only the aspirant who has attained the last 8th fold path stage of yoga, he only realizes omnipresent God .Rig veda mandal 10th sukta 124 mantra 7 says that at this stage Almighty God fully fulfills the soul with utmost merriment .Here we must note that Vedas as well as sutra 1/7 of Patanjali Yoga Darshan says that to determine the truth, the proof of Vedas is 100% essential and all the ancient and the present wiser know it very well and those who do have not studied Vedas and practiced Yoga Philosophy they are against the fundamentals and Tulsi Das ji has given their description a lot in Uttarkand .We must know that the Vedas/Shastras/Upanishads accept only the views mentioned in the Vedas as a proof .This fact has been mentioned in the Vedas as self proof and in Yoga Shashtra Sutra 1/ 7.In this connection Kapil Muni, writer of Samkhaya Shashtra,says that the thing which has been determined on the basis of true proof of Vedas that can not be condemned on the basis of mere imagination.For example Vyas Muni quotes that if somebody says that he has made a bow from rabbit’s horns then it can not be accepted as a truth because it is a direct proof of our eyes that a rabbit does not have horn. Therefore merely on the imagination the rabbit’s horn made bow can not be accepted in reality. Vedas and Shashtra, similarly,tell that without giving the proof of Vedas/Shashtras self-made views are not acceptable and this fundamental law to know truth from Vedas cannot be changed .So we must learn that only the Ashtang yoga has been preached by the God in four Vedas.
Yagvalka Muni in his Smriti 1/8 says that to realize soul and Almighty God by virtue of the Yoga philosophy is the utmost religious duty of the mankind . Yoga fulfills the desires, keeps away from the tensions, illness and oldage and at last even overcomes the death.
PRAISE OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY IN VEDAS
Saam Veda mantra 163 says-“Yoge yoge Indram uteye hawamahe—“
The divine word yoge relates in the matter of practicing Ashtang Yoga. When we learn and do yoga practice of Aasan, Pranayam etc .Indram -Almighty God, uteye-protection from evils like immoral sex, anger,proud etc., control on five senses and five organs and the false materialistic affairs .
Hawamahe-we call or remember the God. Therefore the meaning of this Veda mantra is that when a devotee is fully emerged to study and practice eighth fold path of Yoga philosophy doing Aasan, pranayam and meditation etc., he must remember God doing worship, admire and prayer for seeking protection from the hidden foe of the Yoga stated above .
Now it concludes that the word Yoga is a divine word because of its use in four Vedas as already stated in the previous lecture.
In this matter Rigveda mantra 8 /100/11 also clarifies that each word used in the Vedas is a divine word, stating_‘Divya Vacham Devaha Ajnyant’
Divya Vacham means divine words of the Vedas.Devaha means Rishi Munis who knows the Vedas.Ajnyant means to produce pronunciation .That is, first of all the Rishi-Munis utter the divine holy words of Vedas and thereafter common men and women become able to pronounce and know the same.Yajur veda mantra 31/11 says–
`‘Brahmano Asaya Mukham Aseet[Brahm means who knows Vedas]
that is he who knows Brahm is only an authorized Rishi to deliver preach and to denote Yoga philosophy.Here we must note that in Mahabharat Shanti-Parv Shalok 20,, Bhisham Pitamaha says, —Oh! Yudishtar the God is in two forms to understand—–Shabd Brahm and Par Brahm”.
Shabd Brahm means the knowledge of four Vedas to know by its study and Par Brahm means realization of adorable god through the power of Yoga education.The God who is omni present and creates the universe.By virtue of Yoga philosophy understood from Vedas, that is why Bhisham Pitamaha further says that, he who becomes a philosopher of Shabd Brahm i.e., of four Vedas by means of its study including Yoga philosophy mentioned therein, and secondly when he practises Ashtang Yoga and attains Samadhi then he only realizes Par Brahm i.e.,omni present God. It concludes that to realize Almighty God perfection in Shabad Braham (Vedas) and Ashtang Yoga both are essential fundamentally. Therefore, we see that it is not so easy. In Bhagwat Geeta shalok 7/19 Lord Krishna authentically says that the devotee who has been continuously meditating for the last so many births,he hardly realizes God at last. Lord Krishna further states in the shalok that this type of Yogi (alive) is not easy to meet. However to learn the Yoga education and the instigated deeds/duties from Vedas,r equirement of a learned alive Rishi-Muni-Yogi-Saint is stressed by fourVedas/Shashtras traditionally which one is also a duty of all the human beings to obey as obeyed by our forefathers even by Lord Rama whose Guru was Vashisht Muni and Lord Krishna whose Guru was Sandeepan Rishi. Both the Rishi-Muni were well conversant and philosopher of four Vedas and Ashtang Yoga and therefore used to do Yajna also. It is also a matter of sorrow that oftenly the saints of the present time are usually comparing them with the Rishis and Munis but they do not know Vedas/Ashtang Yoga.These saints even dares openly to say that because Lord Rama and Krishna also adopted Guru so the people should also accept them (present saints)as a Guru. People, thus,being innocent about Vedas Ashtang Yoga/Yajna and the past history of our forefathers accept the false Gurus stated in Tulsi Das Ramayan couplet 99(ka)and verses of Uttarkand stated above. Here we must learn that fundamental of the Almighty God preached in Vedas can not be changed.
As per the comments by Vyas Muni the Yoga(Samadhi) is a special quality of chitta(mind) in every stage, because it is a habit of the mind to think by any means every time .There are five stages of chitta,kshipt(f{kIr),murh(ewn),vikshipt(fof{kIr),ekagr(,dkx),nirudh(fuj)) when the chitta is in touch with rajo quality of prakriti and is wandering in materialistic world,this stage of chitta is called kshipt and is not fit for learning yoga philosophy.When it is in concern with tamo quality of prakriti,then chitta being lazy does not have interest in doing simple or hard job and it is a stage of murh and is not fit for yoga philosophy.At third stage, when the worldly desires are not fulfilled and the vritti is puzzled, it is vikshipt stage of chitta and too is not fit for learning Yoga philosophy.The fourth stage of chitta is called ekagr(concentration).In this stage the chitta has controlled the materialistic desires and has concentrated on one point that is eager to know truth.Only at this stage aspirant is capable to learn the knowledge of Yoga philosophy. The fifth stage is called Nirudh, in which the Vritti becomes dead[having little bit effect only] .This stage is called Sampargyat Samadhi(Yoga) being not final liberation because, the word, chitta vritti nirodh has got not the word complete chitta Vritti Nirodh, in the sutra.when complete chitta vritti is stopped and chitta becomes totally dead, then this stage is called Asampargyat Samadhi[full Samadhi-final liberation]. There are 4 kinds of this Sampargyat Samadhi (Yoga)-Vitarkanugat,Vicharanugat, Anandanugat and Asmitanugat,brief description of which follows.
