Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

Ancient Concepts, Sciences & Systems

of life. It maps out the yogic paths of karma yoga (the path of action), jnana yoga (the path of self enquiry) and bhakthi yoga (the path of devotion) and raja yoga (the path of meditation), It is thus considered as one of the supreme treatises on yoga. The Bhagavad Gita urges everyone to start practising yoga and not to consider it something to be practised on retirement from one's responsibilities. Bhagavad Gita blends all different aspects of yoga into a comprehensive whole. The two Samhitas i.e., the Shiva Samhita and Gheranda Samhita, together with the Yogasutras consist of all the essential knowledge of yoga coming down from the earliest of times. There are other equally important treatises like the Brahma Samhita, As- tavakra-Samhita, Satacakra-Nirupanam, Trisikha Brahmana, Dhyanabindu Upanishad and the Yogatatva Upanishad. However, the Yogasutras has attracted the most attention as it has been translated, along with commentaries by eminent scholars and spiri- tual luminaries like Swami Vivekananda into several Indian and foreign languages. The Yogasutras distinguishes itself by its deep analysis of man's mind in all its aspects. The comprehensive knowledge of mind revealed in this work would seem to anticipate much of modern psychology. Patanjali discusses the varied state of mind, the causes of modification of thoughts, the methods for their control and observance of mental hygiene. The Yogasutras deal with the wid- est range of natural science. It defines the character of matter, the law of continuity ('nothing is abrupt in nature'), the law of evolution, the law of karma etc., . In bringing all this knowledge within the compass of a system, Patanjali's task was lightened by the preach- ings and practical demonstrations of yoga by the Buddha, who had preceded him by some three hundred years. Many commentators interpreted and reinterpreted the tradi- tional texts. Shankaracharya personally interpreted twelve differ- ent Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita as well as writing many original books on yoga such as Vivekachudamani (crest jewel of wisdom) and the Atmabodha (knowledge of the self). Shankara- charya practised yoga and analysed the significance of yoga through personal experience. Bhakti yoga was given a strong boost in the middle ages by Kabir, Tulsidas, Nam Dev and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They gave practical advice to follow the path of bhakti yoga. The most well-known texts on hatha yoga are Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita, the Gheranda Samhita and many more. These texts elaborate on hatha yoga practices, asanas, pranayama and techniques for performing bandhas, mudras etc. Astavakra Gita contains the utterances of yogis in advanced states of meditation. The Anu Gita of the Mahabharata is further explanation of the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna to Arjuna, his disciple; the Brahma Sutras attempt to consolidate in a condensed form the essence of the Upanishads; the Vyasabhasya gives a masterly commentary on Patanjali's Yogasutras; Narada's Bhakti Sutras give rules for prac- tising bhakti yoga. THE SYSTEM AND ITS PRACTICE The principal yogic practices include Kriyas, Asanas, Pranayama, Bandha and Mudras. These basic practices prepare an individual for advanced techniques like Meditation.

yoga is provided by a terracotta seal excavated at Mohenjo Daro in Sind, depicting the Hindu God Shiva - Yogeshwara (the mytholo- gical originator of yoga) and his wife Parvati sitting in various yogic postures or asanas, practising meditation. These discoveries in- dicate that yoga was practised in India even before the coming of the Aryans. As a systematised and co-ordinated science, yoga appears in history for the first time between the second and the third century B.C. A reputed sage (muni ) called Patanjali moulded into shape all the extant knowledge of yoga and compiled the Yogasutra. Shiva Samhita, an undated fundamental work on yoga indicates that the first yoga instructions emanated directly from the mouth of Lord Shiva, regarded by Hindus as Mahayogi or the Supreme yogi. Its opening verses contain the following: "Now the Lord Shiva, bestower of deliverance upon all beings, expoundeth for the benefit of His devotees the discipline of yoga so that, forsaking the views of those who are inclined to disputations resulting from wrong knowledge, they may gain the right knowl- edge and an undistracted mind." The knowledge of yoga, prevailed in India as early as the sev- enth century B.C, a hundred years before the birth of Buddha. This period bears proof of the practice of yoga by the mention of the names of two yogis, Atarha Katama and Uddaka Ramaputta, who are said to have taught yoga to the young Gautama. Thus Buddha remains to this day one of the earliest and greatest of yogis. The entire mass of Buddhist literature subsisting, today is sprinkled with yogic terminology written in Pali and Prakrit languages. Thus there are accounts of yogic disciplines observed by the Buddha himself, and preached by him to his disciples, in books as Buddha Charita (by Asvaghosha), Lalita-Vistara, Nidana-Katha and the Majjhim - Nikaya. But as a compact science, the birth of yoga is attributed to Patanjali in the second or third century B.C. TREATISES ON YOGA The Vedas are regarded as the first yogic texts, for they illus- trate, the essence of yoga. Many aspects of yoga such as dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), vayu (prana), chakras (en- ergy centres), mantras (psychic syllables) etc., are mentioned in Vedic texts. Thus, the concept of yoga was known in Vedic times, though the science of yoga was not properly formulated and sys- tematised. With the advent of the Brahmanas and Upanishads, yoga was put on a firmer foundation. The essential message of the Upan- ishads is that the self can only be known through union (yoga ). The early Upanishads, such as the Kena and Isha, began to develop the precepts of karma yoga. They also laid down the basic rules of raja yoga which was later systematised by Patanjali. Yoga Chudamani covers a wide range of practical aspects of yoga ranging from asanas and pranayama to psychic centres and self-realisation. Yoga Vashishta, another spiritual text, deals with spiritual in- spiration, and explains all aspects of creation and links them ulti- mately to consciousness. The Mahabharata contains many passages directly relating to yoga. The essence of its teachings is contained in the Bhagavad Gita. It is a poem of seven hundred verses in which Arjuna, a great warrior, is instructed in the practice of yoga by Krishna, incarnation of God, who assumes the role of a charioteer during the main battle of the epic. The Bhagavad Gita is a yogic scripture par excellence, and is applicable to people throughout the world and in every walk