Realistic (Interpretation of Patanjali Yoga Sutras)

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This book on yoga gives ideas about focusing the wavering mind, thoughts to contemplate during the meditation process to increase our concentration and capacity to discriminate and thereby purify heart for self development.

It tells us about types of ignorance, self training and discipline to overcome loss of focus, importance of enlightened intellect to achieve perfection in our endeavors overcoming all hurdles.

This book provides skills for discretion between virtuous and non virtuous actions and provides us self discipline to balance individual and collective interests.

Such an explanation of 'Yoga sutras' with an overview of different aspects of Yoga, is scarcely available in different interpretations. It gifts us with right focus in life commensurate with our natural abilities and we may get astonished to see the results of all such endeavors as we become fit to accomplish self development authentically for meaningful prosperous life.

For self development, the author in company of masters of truth discovers that experiential knowledge and its practice is required to prosper in life. He believes that all human beings have potential to develop and be effective in their endeavors. But for getting experiential knowledge the first thing required is the will for self development.

The author gained spiritual experience of his parents and spiritual masters and utilized that for his own transformation. He tried to increase virtuousness by purification of heart through vision of divinity in all beings and keeping his mind focused on service of humanity.

This ancient yoga has the power to control the wavering chattering mind and improve the power of discretion and the author considers this as first step for youngsters to evolve.

Yoga means union. For union of human beings with God, the seeker has to be in good health with balanced state of mind and have a desire to understand the intellectual thoughts for his union with God. There are many stages in union with God as per Indian philosophy and their respective names are `Hata yoga,' Samatva yoga'/'Raj yoga' and laya yoga.'

In the journey from ignorance to enlightenment, individual seeker of universal truth starts with the ignorant nature (Tamoguni), where there is exorbitance of vibrations or excessive instability of fluctuating mind, which needs to be controlled forcibly (Hata-yoga) for effective self development; this is the main topic of this book. This realistic interpretation of 'Hata-Yoga' is to prepare mind and senses to concentrate for understanding sameness of all beings (`Samatva-Yoga) remaining self disciplined and effective in human pursuits. `Samatva yoga' for passionate nature (Rajoguni) is for experiencing sameness everywhere and it prepares the experience with serene nature (Satoguni) to finally merge in the universe which is called laya yoga' i.e. yoga for merger in God.

'Hata-yoga' which gives clues for disciplining the body and excessively fluctuating mind, is to make us ready for understanding the truth/reality and its direct perception with reverence to evolve, and is known as `Patanjali-Yoga sutra.'

Yoga sutras do mention about five great elements/'Pancha mahabhuta' and three qualities/'Trigunas' as well as subtle soul/'Atma,' but sameness of these in all beings is not explained; these are detailed further in Gita for self-study and perception of reality.

PATANJALI YOGASUTRAS- Mention of 'Hata-yoga' and 'Sankhya-yoga' is there in verses of Gita as per Shri Krishna's discourse during the war (Mahabharat), which took place in India about 1000 year B.C. This yoga gives ideas and thoughts for withdrawing mind from movements in all directions in ignorant state, to concentrate internally on one thought to make it focused for effectiveness in karmas through eight corrective actions (ashtanga yoga). These corrective actions are for training and regulating our mind, resulting in purification of heart (antahkaran) by looking inward for self transformation. This transformation through self discipline makes us capable for self realization and become effective in all endeavors for benefit of all.

Interpretation of Patanjali-sutras by some scholars, without perception of reality, has resulted in many interesting and amazing imaginations about this 'Yoga' and assumptions that it gives power to perform unnatural wonders. Ignorant human beings in the society, in the absence of realistic knowledge, have accepted these to be true due to their own ignorant/ Tamsik' nature; they expect some miracle to happen with the help of super natural powers of so called perfect human beings/ 'Yogis' in overcoming distress. In the ignorant masses wrong notions about Saints (Sanyasi/Yogis) or supreme beings (Bhagwan) can only be overcome by right interpretation of spiritual knowledge, realistic experiences and perfections (Siddhis).

Shri Mayananda Chaitanya ji, who descended in Omkareshwar in India and contributed to eradication of spiritual ignorance through his divine-vision (Divya-drishti,Sarvangayoga) during 1910 to 1934, explained that there is no supernatural power in 'Yogis' who are masters of Yoga, to perform miracles; Interpretation of Tatanjali yogasutras' is based on these principles. I offer my humble gratitude to previous interpreters of Patanjali yogasutras. The realistic interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga sutras is based on understanding of divine-vision of the holistic thing/ Turna-Vastu' that exists in gross, subtle and merged forms, with union of all parts in the whole cosmos (sarva anga yoga).