We were Learning Sutra 1/12 of the Yoga Shashtra that the said five Vrittis are stopped by practise and asceticism. Because the five Vrittis of the Chitta are not stopped, the salvation cannot be achieved. Therefore the huge importance in the life is asceticism as in clear from the Sutra. Actually in which community we are born, accordingly we are stressed to follow the same. For example, we are Hindu, so from the childhood we are told to go to the temple. If we are Muslim, Christian, Sikh or so on then we have to follow the respective religion. But in every religion too it is preached that the materialistic world is immortal. Only God is love and He is the truth. If we follow it faithfully then naturally our thinking (vrittis) will not love mortal articles and we will be satisfied whatever we get through hard working, In Vedas it is also preached only in two words,”Satyam Braham jagat Mithya” means only God is truth Who is Omnipresent and Immortal. Rest the world including our bodies will be perished away at one time even our body will leave the soul within hundred years. And so the death is sure being a fundamental law of God. Why we should be greedy, why we should be militant, etc. and we don’t try to learn the basic principles of death etc. and we directly adopt above said religions due to custom/tradition or so on then we will perform the formalities of worship but internally we will be engaged even through religion, with the materialistic untrue deeds of the world. For example we will be gathering the money, building, gathering, dignity etc. So Vedas and shashtras raise the necessity of asceticism first then we must start worship. Now again the method of worship must be traditional preached in the Vedas-Shashtras and Holy Books. To perform such kind of traditional, known and authenticated worship will be our practice. Lord Rama, Yogeshwar Krishna, Rishis-Munis and the previous saints were ascetics first and then started Yoga practice worship etc. that is why Rama wondered in the jungles, left Kingdom and Lord Krishna never took rest in life, right from the birth in the jail, murder of Putna, Kansa and several evil elements in the Mahabharta also. In the end it is mentioned in Musal Parav of Mahabharta that Lord Krishna gave his kingdom and all assets thereof to Arjuna and he (Krishna left for jungle. Mahavir Swami, Mahatma Buddha, Guru Nanak Devji and so many previous saints, ascetics and they did worship together. So the importance of the asceticism in the life must be remembered first. The true worship is not for those who have anger, greediness, attachment, sensuality etc. In the next Sutra Rishi Patanjali preaches that what is practice?
Tatra Sthitau Yatno Abhyaasha (1/13)
(Tatra) from the above two (Abhayaas and Vairaagya i.e., practice and asceticism) (Sthitau) for steadiness of Chitta whatever the (yatna) hard struggleis there that hard struggle is called (abhyaasha) practice.
Meaning = to control the unsteady chitta’s vritti whatever authenticated path we determine and accordingly we do the efforts/hard struggle that is called Practice. In this connection, Vyas Muni says the stage of the unsteady Chitta where the Chitta functions in calm and quiet situation then this stage of Chitta is called steadiness or perfect stoppage of Chitta’s Vritti. To make this situation firm (steady) we will have to do the efforts on the best path. When we do the hard struggle in this way duly inspired with our level best and too in the best lonely place then these all efforts are called “Practice”. For example — Tapsya, the study of Vedas, Shashtras, repeatedly reciting the holy name of God, to do holy Yajna and to do Yoga Practice etc., are all the true resources on which we have to do hard Practice.
