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Now this 23rd Yoga Sūtra of the Yoga Darśana, Samādhipāda, is a very very important Sutra, quite well known. The Sutra suggests, gives totally a separate individual practice itself, for the Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. And the Sutra is, and along with the Sutra, Patanjali introduces a new concept in the entire Yoga Darśana.
And the Sūtra is,
ईश्वरप्रणि॑धाना॒द्वा ॥ १.२३॥
Īśvara-praṇidhānād vā.
Īśvara-praṇidhānād vā. Praṇidhānād vā. Vā means or, or refers here to whatever said before this Sutra. All the intensities, all the qualities, all the requirements, the depths, the dimensions, and the directions, the requirements, what are all the things which was told now, expressed till now, Patanjali takes at one side and introduces Īśvara-praṇidhānād vā. Or, or means again, all of that, those things are. Vā means Īśvara-praṇidhānād vā.
The word used here is praṇidhāna. Praṇidhāna is total surrender. Praṇidhānād vā, from total surrender. Or through total surrender. From total surrender or through total surrender, this surrender to whom? To what? Surrender to Īśvara.
What a beautiful concept, dimension, Patanjali brings in this Sutra. Complete, absolute, total surrender to Īśvara. This alone can bring, can take, can establish, can attain in the state of Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. So Īśvara-praṇidhāna itself is raised to that level. Practice of surrender to Īśvara. Surrendering to Īśvara itself is the highest practice.
And when we say Īśvara here, commonly, normally understood, translated word Īśvara into English is all like Bhagwan, God, Lord, like that. But Īśvara is not that. What is Īśvara is also defined, is also described by Maharṣi Patanjali in the next Sutras.
So we should not take it granted. Īśvara means God, Īśvara means Lord, Bhagwan. No, the qualities have been given for that. And this means that one can become Īśvara himself. Because having the qualities, when the qualities have been defined, described, and if the qualities have been developed, possessed, that person, that sādhaka will be an Īśvara. Īśvara as a human being, Īśvara as a being, or Īśvara as a state of a being.
Īśvaratattvam, Īśvara as a concept. But īśvaratva, īśvaraḥ, is not something which is beyond human mind, achievable, attainable, discoverable, and it is expressible. This is a very important dimension of Yoga Darśana.
Specifying and bringing the fact that the practice of Yoga will transform, can transform one into Īśvara. The īśvaratva in the beings will be expressed, can be expressed. We can bring out that īśvaratvam from within, from ourself.
And Īśvara-praṇidhāna is an absolute surrender. Of course, practically to understand, comparatively if you have to understand, we can say it is a total surrender, complete surrender to the God. Understanding that īśvaratvam, Īśvara as a God, or God as an Īśvara.
So using the word, or itself, that is vā, the word vā used, itself is sufficient by saying, by Īśvara-praṇidhāna alone, irrespective of the practices other than Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, and so many Kriyā, Bandha, Mudrā, and all varieties of Haṭha-yoga practices which we see. Patanjali says, Īśvara-praṇidhāna itself is sufficient for the Citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ.
Īśvara-praṇidhāna in Patanjali Yoga Sūtra was used thrice. One, this is now in this particular Sutra, and second time it is used in the Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, when Patanjali describes the components of Niyama in that, Śauca, Santoṣa, Tapas, Svādhyāya, Īśvara-praṇidhāna. And also, when he defines and discusses about Kriyā-yoga, in the Kriyā-yoga, Patanjali brings Īśvara-praṇidhāna, Tapas Svādhyāya Īśvara-praṇidhānani Kriyā-yogaḥ, he calls it, he defines what is Kriyā-yoga.
And, when it is said praṇidhāna, it is pra, prakāśena, it is complete, intense, absolute surrender. When it is said absolute surrender, there is not an iota, a drop of asmitā, an absolute, egoless state. Commonly, all of us know, it is Bhakti-yoga.
Even when the Bhakti-yoga is discussed by the many Ācāryas, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya defines bhakti very nicely. He says -
mokṣa-kāraṇa-sāmagrayāṃ bhaktir eva garīyasī |
sva-svarūpānusandhānaṃ bhaktir ity abhidhīyate || 31 || [Vivekchudamani]
In all the paths leading to mokṣa, Bhakti-mārga is the best. And what is bhakti? Sva-svarūpānusandhānaṃ becoming one with oneself. It is nothing but the state of Citta-vṛtti-nirodha, even without asmitā-level. The puruṣa-tattvas. Īśvara-praṇidhāna is independent of the so many methods taught.
And Citta-vṛtti-nirodha has to be accompanied by Īśvara-praṇidhāna. That is why people say, Yogis and Jñānīs say, the importance of Īśvara-praṇidhāna. So it is repeated thrice in Patanjali Yoga Sūtra.
And this practice of Īśvara-praṇidhāna is the important dimension in the entire Yoga Darśana. And generally people say that, I practice Āsana, I practice Prāṇāyāma. And keep on saying that, what are all the things a person does it. But I don't believe in the God, I don't believe in the Īśvara. Such talks Patanjali keeps it aside. Being a Yoga Practitioner, being a Yoga-sādhaka, being Yoga-vyāsīs. We should remember, īśvaratvam, Īśvara is an important component of the entire Yoga practice. And though īśvaratvam, Īśvara concept and the stage of Īśvara is within us as an unfoldment. And to be unfolded, to be experienced. But with all practical dimensions, Īśvara-praṇidhāna is a surrendering to the Lord and God with that dimension of Īśvara.
It is praṇidhāna, it is called. Prāṇi is an important word. Somebody does a Ṣāṣṭāṅga-namaskāra, we say it is praṇipāta, it is called. So totally absolute surrender. So as a result of the special devotion, which is bhakti, love of the God.
And Īśvara-praṇidhāna is included or put forward as a totally single, separate, alone path by Maharṣi Patanjali. And keeping that important understanding of Īśvara in the Yoga practices, further Maharṣi Patanjali defines, describes, what is Īśvara? What is the idea of Īśvara? Who is an Īśvara? That definition follows in the next Sutra, number 24, which we shall see in our coming sessions.
Om Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ. - ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः||To Be Continued.. ----------------------------------------
These are transcription of session delivered by Vice-President of Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Vivekananda Kendra, Sri M. Hanumantha Rao Ji. Audio Link - https://youtu.be/1_79CPfqZCY?si=2jN-yRbYRJa1_OIn
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मुक्तसंग्ङोऽनहंवादी धृत्युत्साहसमन्वित:।
सिद्धयसिद्धयोर्निर्विकार: कर्ता सात्त्विक उच्यते ॥१८.२६॥
Freed from attachment, non-egoistic, endowed with courage and enthusiasm and unperturbed by success or failure, the worker is known as a pure (Sattvika) one. Four outstanding and essential qualities of a worker. - Bhagwad Gita : XVIII-26
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