Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Question - Gurudev, can ladies chant Gayatri mantra? Gurudev Sri Sri - Yes. Nowhere it is said that ladies cannot chant. It is unfortunate that somewhere in the middle ages, these rights of women were taken away. We have reinstated this in the Ashram. Many ladies are learning. See it was a male dominated society. The men thought that if ladies do Gayatri Mantra, it will bring them a lot of power, healing power and sankalpa Shakti. Whatever they wish for those things will start happening. So the men said, 'No our wives are already powerful, we don't want to make them more powerful. So we won't let them chant the mantra'. This is why only a small section of people kept this as a highly guarded secret. Even yoga and pranayama was not taught to common people because it brings so much mental power. It also increases the power of the spirit in a person and that is why they kept it as a big secret, not letting everybody know it, learn it, or practice it. But we said no way, th...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 27 śvaśuran suhṛdaścaiva senayor-ubhayor api  tān samīkșya sa kaunteyaḥ  sarvān bandhūn avasthitān  kṛpaya paraya'viṣṭho  vişīdann idam abravīt Seeing all these kinsmen standing thus arrayed, Kaunteya (Arjuna), invaded by great pity, uttered this in sadness and dejection: Arjuna was very sad and went into his weakness. As a warrior, one can't go into one's weakness. Imagine that you are in a war, everybody is there on the battlefield in front of you, and you just sit and cry. It is like going to a doctor and saying, "I am sick. I have this terrible illness. Please help me!" Imagine that the doctor just sits and cries with you. What will happen? You'll be shocked! You'll become more depressed. Your illness will get worse! Arjuna saw that many people would die. He felt pity and his heart pained him. He was overtaken by emotions which would stop him from fighting. So he became cowardly, very soft. If you are soft, you can...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 26 tatrapasyat sthitān pārthaḥ  pitṛn atha pita-mahān  ācāryān mātulan bhrātṛn  putrān pautrān sakhims tathā Then Arjuna saw standing on opposite sides, uncles and grandsires, teachers, brothers, cousins, sons and grandsons, comrades, fathers-in-law, benefactors. Looking at the other side, Arjuna said, "Oh, I know these people!" When one starts on the spiritual journey, one has to first strengthen oneself before going to help others. You have to first remove your own negativity, change it, and then, when you are strong enough, you go and help other people. Otherwise you will get drowned in their negativity. Here Arjuna looked at all these people and said, "Oh my goodness! I know these people! These people are my great-uncles, like Bhishma, Somadatta, Bahlika. These are my teachers, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, Purujit. Shalya is the brother of our dear Madri. How can I go and fight them?" Everybody has a certain connection to their...

Ajuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1: Verses 24-25 sanjay uvāca evam ukto hrṣikeśo  guḍākeśena bhārata  senayor-ubhayor madhye  sthāpayitvā rathottamam bhişma drona pramukhataḥ  sarveṣāṁ ca mahīkṣitām  uvāca pārtha paśyaitān  samavetān kurūn iti Sanjaya said: Thus addressed by Gudakesha (one who has overcome sleep: Arjuna), Sri Krishna, O Bharata, having stationed the best of all chariots between the two armies, in front of Bhishma, Drona and all the princes of this Earth, said, "O Paartha (Arjuna), behold these Kurus gathered together." Here Sanjaya called Arjuna 'Gudakesha, which means the conquerer of sleep. Arjuna had conquered sleep. That was why he could carry on with his activities without taking any rest. This is what Kriya does! If one sleeps too much, one is drained of life energy. If one sleeps less, one is full of energy. In all his activities, Arjuna never felt oppressed from too much sleep. Calling Arjuna 'Gudakesha, Sanjaya was saying that the sons ...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 21-23 arjuna uvāca senayor-ubhayor madhye  ratham sthāpaya me'cyuta yāvad etān nirikṣe'ham  yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān  kair-mayā saha yoddhavyam  asmin rana-samudyame yotsyamānān avekṣeham  ya ete'tra samāgatāḥ  dhārtarästrasya durbuddher  yuddhe priya cikīrṣavaḥ Arjuna said: O Achyuta (the faultless, the immovable), station my chariot between these two armies, so that I may view these myriads standing, longing for battle. I wish to see who I am to fight, and look upon those who have come here to champion the cause of the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra. Interesting! Here Arjuna was addressing Lord Krishna as Achyuta. Achyuta means the one who is never vanquished, 'the faultless, the immovable' It means one who never suffers a fall, who remains ever-established in the Self, who is never dissassociated from His power and Glory. Addressing Lord Krishna here as 'Achyuta', Arjuna revealed his knowledge of the Glory and...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 20 atha vyavasthitan dṛṣṭvā  dhārtarāsṭrān kapi-dhvajaḥ  pravṛtte śastra-sampāte  dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ  hṛṣīkeśam tadā vākyam  idam āha mahi-pate Then, beholding the sons of Dhritarashtra standing in battle order, and the flight of missiles having begun, the son of Pandu (Arjuna), whose emblem was an ape, took up his bow and spoke these words to Sri Krishna, O King: Hanuman was on the flag of Arjuna. Hanuman represents power and strength. Sanjaya showed this to Dhritarashtra saying, "As promised, Hanuman has placed Himself on the flag of Arjuna, and from time to time, Hanuman roars from the flag." Sanjaya used the word kapi-dhvajaḥ meaning "from time to time he roared", showing that Arjuna had the attribute of strength. But seeing that all the Kauravas were ready with their weapons to begin the battle, Arjuna started to feel sad. Certain emotions started to take over inside his heart. He spoke to Krishna again calling Him...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 19 sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrānāṁ  hṛdayāni vyadārayat  nabhaśca prthivīm caiva tumulo'bhyanunādayan That tumultuous uproar, resounding through earth and sky, tore the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra. When all the conches of all the Pandava heroes sounded together, the sound was so powerful, so deep and dreadful that it filled all the regions of heaven and earth. Even Indra was scared. This sound echoed, spreading in all regions causing terror and fright to the sons of Dhritarashtra and the other fighters. At that moment they all felt, "Oh my goodness, this sound is too strong!" At that moment, the soul inside each of them knew that it was the end. They felt their hearts being torn and great oppression inside of them. When you go on your spiritual path, with full force, this power will remove all negative things. If you don't let the negativity take control, if you don't concentrate on the negativity, but concentrate on moving f...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 17-18 kāśyaśca parameṣ-vasaḥ  śikhandi ca mahārathah  dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiś-cāparājitaḥ drupado draupadeyāśca  sarvaśaḥ prthivi-pate  saubhadraśca mahā-bāhuḥ  śankhan dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak And the King of Kashi the supreme archer, Shikandhi the mighty warrior, Dhrshtadyumna and Virat; and Satyaki the invincible; Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, and the strong-armed son of Subhadra-all, O King, blew their various conches again and again. The mighty warrior Shikandhi: you know the story I told earlier, how she had been transformed from a woman into a man and went to fight. The entity who had transformed Shikandhini through a sex change said to her, "You will have only one day." Of course, one day was not enough. Meanwhile Kubera had cursed this entity. When this entity got the body of a woman, he wanted to tempt Kubera to get all his wealth. Kubera got angry and cursed him saying, "From now on, you'll stay a woman ...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 15-16 pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣikeśo  devadattam dhananjayaḥ  paundram dadhmau mahā-śankham bhima-karmā vṛkodaraḥ ananta-vijayam rājā  kunti-putro yudhisthiraḥ  nakulah sahadevaśca  sughosa mani-puspakau Sri Krishna blew his conch, Panchajanya, Arjuna blew his, named Devadatta; and Bhima of terrible deeds, blew the great conch, Paundra. King Yudhishtir the son of Kunti, blew his conch Ananta-vijaya, and Nakul and Sahadev blew their conches, Sughosha and Mani-pushpaka. pañcajanyar hrşikeśo: here Krishna was referred to as hrsikeśo which means the senses, and the Lord, the controller. Hrṣikeso is next to the word pañcajanyaṁ. Pañcajanyaṁ was a demon who had the form of a conch. Pancha means five, the five senses. Pañcajanyam hṛṣikeso means, "You, the controller of the five senses, who is the repository of joy, happiness and power, who is the power that accompanies one in one's life." He is not just the controller of the senses. He is t...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 14 tataḥ śvetair-hayair-yukte  mahati syandane sthitau  mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva  divyau śankhau pradadhmatuḥ Then, seated in their great chariot, harnessed to white horses, Madhava (Sri Krishna) and the son of Pandu (Arjuna) blew their divine conches. Sri Krishna sat in his chariot holding the reins, controlling the five horses. When the Lord perceives that one is making an effort to change, He is the controller of all. Pāndavaścaiva: Arjuna was seated with Him in the chariot and they blew their divine conches. This denotes that when one shows interest in changing, the Lord Himself gives strength, power, energy and faith to that person who is willing to change. He gives one power to control the senses: the five horses pulling the chariot represents the five senses. Later on Krishna will explain that to control the mind, one must control the senses. To control the mind is very difficult until you have learned to control the senses. If y...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 13 tataḥ śankhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa sabdas-tumulo'bhavat Then conches and kettledrums, tabors and drums and horns, suddenly blared forth, and the clamour became tremendous. Bhishma started roaring like a lion, blowing his conch to announce the beginning of the war. From everywhere, all the army, all the generals, all the commanders of the army, from every corner started to blow the conches, trumpets and musical instruments which belonged to the different groups of soldiers. They all made a loud sound, and this sound was so terrible that it echoed and re-echoed through the entire region and the sky. Imagine all these people blowing conches: so powerful and so strong must have been this sound, at that time, that everything around started to tremble! And not only there on the battlefield, but also in the heavens. The gods were eagerly waiting, looking down, "What is this?" All the devas were present....

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 12 tasya sañjanayan harṣam  kuru-vṛddhaḥ pitämahaḥ  simhanādam vinadyoccaiḥ  śankham dadhmau pratāpavān To cheer the heart of Duryodhan, the mighty grandsire (Bhishma), the Ancient of the Kurus, resounding the battlefield with a lion's roar, blew his conch. This verse is very interesting, because Bhishma knew why Duryodhan wanted to protect him. Duryodhan was not saying, "Protect my great uncle for the sake of protecting him. No! Protect him because it is good for our profit. We can use him!" This made Bhishma very agitated, but he didn't want to show that he was agitated. He thought, "Let me flatter Duryodhan a bit, let me show him that I am interested in his fight." To show Duryodhan, to cheer him up, he roared like a lion and blew his conch very powerfully! The Ancient of the Kurus: here Sanjaya was calling Bhishma Pitamah an elderly man, because he was very old. He was the great-uncle of both the Pandavas and the Kau...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 11 ayaneșu ca sarveşu yathā-bhāgam avasthitāḥ  bhișmam evābhi-rakṣantu  bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi "Therefore, all of you standing in your respective divisions in the different fronts of the battle, guard Bhishma." Here Duryodhan addressed his people saying, "Whatever you do, never lose sight of Bhishma!" Why did he say that? He knew that the only person who could kill Bhishma, Shikandhini, was there in the Pandavas' army. She was the only one, who could kill Bhishma, whether he wanted it or not. This was because in her past life when she was Amba, she had wanted to marry Bhishma, and he had refused to marry her. Out of anger, she cursed Bhishma saying, "I will be the only one who will be able to kill you. You will die by my hand." She did her penance with one aim only: to kill Bhishma. So she was later born to the King Drupada, as a daughter. Drupada had actually wanted to have a son, and Lord Shiva had blessed him to...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 10 aparyāptam tad asmakam  balam bhiṣmābhirakṣita  paryāptam tvidam eteṣām  balam bhīmābhirakṣitam Unlimited is this army of ours and it is marshalled by Bhishma, while the army of theirs is limited, and they depend on Bhima. Duryodhan explained, "Our army is huge. It is very well-protected because we have Bhishma as the commander." He said, "Our army is superior in force, far superior to the Pandavas. We have Bhishma, who can't be killed. Who can kill Bhishma? Bhishma can be killed only when he wants to be killed. Nobody can remove the weapon from Bhishma's hand until he himself puts it down, which in this war, will never happen." They were very proud, very enthusiastic that Bhishma was there. It was still before the war and Bhishma was still on his feet. Duryodhan said, "Who can overrun Bhishma? Nobody!" Who can overrun the ego? The ego is so big, you know? It takes time. Bhishma had fought great battles agai...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 8-9 bhavan bhiṣmaśca karnaśca  kṛpaśca samitiñjayaḥ  aśvatthāmā vikarṇaśca  saumadattas tathaiva ca anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā  madarthe tyakta-jivitāḥ  nānā-śāstra praharaṇāḥ  sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ Yourself, Bhishma and Karna and Kripacharya, the victorious in battle, Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and Saumadatti also; and many other heroes have renounced their life for my sake, they are all armed with diverse weapons and missiles and all well-skilled in war. Here Duryodhan was saying, "You are also great!" naming him first in the verse. "You are not the greatest, yet you are great." Then he praised Bhishma, who was the great-uncle of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Bhishma represents the ego. He was very powerful. He was considered the greatest of all in the Kuru dynasty. He was very virtuous. He had value. He was a renunciant. He had endurance, forgiveness, compassion, tranquillity, self- control, truthfulness, non-violence. He ha...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 7 asmākam tu visiṣṭā ye  tān-nibodha dvijottama  nāyakāḥ mama sainyasya samjñārtham tān bravīmi te On our side also, know those who are the most distinguished. O best of the twice-born, the leaders of my army; these I name to you for your special notice. Here you see the cunning mind of Duryodhan saying, "I want to control the mind of Dronacharya." But because Dronacharya was free from these things, he didn't bother about them too much. He knew how powerful the Pandavas' army was. He knew why Duryodhan was using all this flattery to get his attention. Duryodhan said, "Listen, I have told you about this great army of the Pandavas, but in ours also, there are many good, strong people, equal in all the qualities. We have many great heroes and fighters." He used the words viśiṣṭā ye pointing out that, "In our army we have supreme heroes, steady, strong, intelligent people. We have courageous, energetic and knowledgeabl...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verses 4-6 atra śūrā maheṣvās  bhīmārjuna sama yudhi  yuyodhāno virāṭaśca  drupadaśca mahārathaḥ dhṛṣṭaketus-cekitānaḥ  kāśi-rājaśca vīryavān purujit-kunti-bhojaśca  śaibyaśca nara-pungavaḥ yudhāmanyuśca vikrānta  uttamaujāśca viryavān  saubhadro draupadeyāśca  sarva eva mahārathāḥ Here in this mighty army are heroes and great bowmen who are equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna. Yuyudhana, Virat and Drupada of the great chariot, Dhrishlaketu, Chekitana and the valiant prince of Kashi, Purujit and Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya, foremost among men; Yudhamanyu, the strong, and Uttamauja, the victorious; Subhadra's son (Abhimanyu) and the sons of Draupadi; all of them of great prowess. Here Duryodhan continued talking to Drona. In this verse, you'll see that the words merge: bhīmārjuna sama yudhi. The merging of the words bhīmārjuna means that the war had not yet started: Bhima and Arjuna were still discussing. Bhima and Arjun...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 3 paśyaitām pāṇḍu-putrāṇām  ācārya mahatim camūm  vyūḍhām drupada-putrena  tava śişyena dhimatā "Behold this mighty host of the sons of Pandu, O Acharya, arrayed by Drupada's son, your intelligent disciple." Duryodhan was very clever. He wanted to excite Dronacharya and remind him of his vow of revenge against Drupada. He wanted to put the full spirit of revenge inside of Dronacharya. That's why he said, "drupada-putrena", referring to the son of Drupada named Dhrishtadyumna. He said, "Drona, look there! In front of you, there is the son of Drupada, your best childhood friend, who is now your enemy. Fight him!" With this cunningness, Duryodhan wanted to awaken revenge, "Wake up! Be vengeful!" That's why he said 'the son of Drupada. When they were young, Dronacharya and Drupada had been best friends. Dronacharya's father, Sri Bharadwaja, was the guru of his son and of Drupada. Drona and Dru...

SHREEMAD BHAGAVAD GITA Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 2 sanjay uvaca  drishtva tu pāndavāneekam  vyoodham duryodhanstadā āchaaryam upasangamaya rājā vachanam abraveet Sanjaya continued: Then the prince, Duryodhan, having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle order, approached his teacher, Dronacharya, and spoke these words: In the translation, here is the word 'prince'; but in the Sanskrit verse, raajaa vachanam, 'raja' actually means king and refers to the king, Duryodhan. Why does Sanjaya refer to him as 'raja'? Because Duryodhan was a great man of state. His father, Dhritarashtra, was blind, so it was actually Duryodhan who was controlling the kingdom. His blind father, Dhritarashtra, represents the blind mind. What comes out of the blind mind is pride. Duryodhan represents this great pride that is born from the mind. When the mind is very active, one becomes proud, proud of many things: proud of knowledge, proud of what one has. The army of ...

Arjuna Vishaada Yoga Chapter 1, Verse 1 dhritarashtra uvāca dharmakshetre kurukshetre samavetā yuyutsavah māmakaah paandavāshchaiva kim akurvata sanjaya Dhritarashtra asked: On the field of Kurukshetra, the field of the working out of the dharma, gathered together, eager for battle, what did they do, O Sanjaya, my people and the Pandavas? Dhritarashtra asked Sanjaya what was happening in the war, what was happening on the battlefield. This verse starts with Dharmakshetra. 'Dharma' means righteous, 'kshetra' means the field the field of righteousness. Kurukshetra: 'kuru' comes from 'ku', 'kriya', to do, to act, to work; 'kshetra' is the working field. Dhritarashtra asked, "What are my sons and the Pandavas doing?" The moment Dhritarashtra used the words Dharmakshetra, Kurukshetra, he knew automatically that the place, the battlefield was not just a normal place. The battlefield was a holy place. This Kurukshetra was not just a no...

Verse 4.34 पुरुषार्थशून्यानां गुणानांप्रतिप्रसवः कैवल्यं स्वरूपप्रतिष्ठा वा चितिशक्तिरिति ॥३४॥ puruṣa-artha-śūnyānāṃ guṇānāṃ pratiprasavaḥ kaivalyaṃ svarūpa-pratiṣṭhā vā citi-śaktiḥ iti ||34|| The resolution in the inverse order of the qualities, perfect of any motive of action for the Purusa, is Kaivalya, or it is the establishment of the power of knowledge in its own nature. Nature’s task is done, this unselfish task which our sweet nurse Nature had imposed upon herself. As it were, she gently took the self-forgetting soul by the hand, and showed him all the experiences in the universe, all manifestations, bringing him higher and higher through various bodies, till his glory came back, and he remembered his own nature.  Then the kind mother went back the way she came, for others who have also lost their way in the trackless desert of life. And thus she is working, without beginning and without end. And thus through pleasure and pain, through good and evil, the infinite river of s...

Verse 4.33 क्षणप्रतियोगी परिणामापरान्त निर्ग्राह्यः क्रमः ॥३३॥ kṣaṇa-pratiyogī pariṇāma-aparānta nirgrāhyaḥ kramaḥ ||33|| The changes that exist in relation to moments, and which are perceived at the other end (at the end of a series) are succession. The sequence of time is related to the order of movements of the gunas of nature. Only the yogi recognizes this inter-relationship and is free from gunas. The uninterrupted succession of moments is called time. These movements of moments and the uninterrupted mutation of the gunas of nature are distinctly recognizable at the culminating point of transformation. The average person is not aware of moments: he understands their movement as past, present and future. When moments slip away from one's awareness, one lives in movements. Memory begins to exert its influence, and consciousness is felt at this juncture in the movements of time. The perfect yogi lives in the moment without getting involved in movements: the movements of moments a...

Verse 4.32 ततः कृतार्थानं परिणामक्रमसमाप्तिर्गुणानाम् ॥३२॥ tataḥ kṛta-arthānāṃ pariṇāma-krama-samāptiḥ guṇānām ||32|| Then are finished the successive transformations of the qualities, they having attained the end. Having transformed the yogi's consciousness by the radiation of the rays of the soul, the orderly mutations and rhythmic sequences of the qualities of nature, sattva, rajas and tamas come to an end. Their tasks are fulfilled, and they return to nature. The essence of intelligence and the essence of consciousness both now retire to rest in the abode of the soul. The master, the seer or the soul, is independent. He keeps the gunas in abeyance, or uses them when necessary. They willingly serve him as devoted servants, without influencing him as before, and without interfering in his true glory. PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS 

Verse 4.31 तदा सर्वावरणमलापेतस्य ज्ञानस्यानन्त्यात् ज्ञेयमल्पम् ॥३१॥ tadā sarva-āvaraṇa-mala-apetasya jñānasya-ānantyāt-jñeyam-alpam ||31|| Then knowledge, bereft of covering and impurities, becoming infinite, the knowable becomes small. The stream of virtue eradicates all the veils of impurities. The yogi is devoid of doubts, preconceptions and prejudices. The infinite light of the soul illumines him continuously, and his consciousness and the seer become one. For him, knowledge gained through the organs of cognition and through consciousness are insignificant compared with the infinite wisdom emanating from the soul. This sutra describes the characteristics of the yogi who is devoid of afflicting actions. His head becomes clear and his heart clean and pure as crystal. When the clouds disperse, the sky becomes clear. When the sun is bright, no other light is required. When the light of the soul blazes, the yogi does not need mind or intelligence to develop knowledge. His knowledge spr...

Verse 4.30 ततः क्लेशकर्मनिवृत्तिः ॥३०॥ tataḥ kleśa-karma-nivṛttiḥ ||30|| From that comes cessation of pains and works. From this rain-cloud of virtue, afflictions cease of their own accord and in their place, divine actions with no reactions flow forth like a river from the yogi. This is freedom. Avidya, the mother of afflictions, is eradicated, root and branch, along with residual subliminal impressions. The sadhaka will not now deviate from the path of divinity nor perform an act that binds, hinders or preconditions his consciousness. He is free from the bondage of karma. In the Bhagavad Gita (vi.5), Lord Krishna says that each individual has to cultivate himself to become enlightened, and to learn not to degrade himself, for the Self alone is the friend of the individual self, and the Self alone is the enemy of the egotistical self. As the light of a lamp fades as the oil runs out, so the lamp of the mind is extinguished as its fuel, the actions producing joys and sorrows, is exhaus...

Verse 4.29 प्रसंख्यानेऽप्यकुसीदस्य सर्वथा विवेकख्यातेः धर्ममेघस्समाधिः ॥२९॥ prasaṃkhyāne-api-akusīdasya sarvathā viveka-khyāteḥ dharma-meghaḥ samādhiḥ Even when arriving at the right discriminating knowledge of the senses, he who gives up the fruits, unto him comes as the result of perfect discrimination, the Samadhi called the cloud of virtue. When the stream of virtue pours in torrents and the mind is washed clean of bias, prejudice and ambition, the light of the soul dawns. This is dharma megha samadhi: the fruit of the practice of yoga. If the yogi, knowing that the highest form of intelligence is also a hindrance, remains uninterested even in this enlightened wisdom as well as in spiritual attainments, virtuousness descends upon him like torrential rain, washing away his individual personality.  His only ambition now is to sustain spiritual health. He has purity and clarity. His personality has been transformed. He becomes humane, universal and divine.  He lives forever i...

Verse 4.28 हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥२८॥ hānaṃ eṣāṃ kleśavat-uktam ||28|| Their destruction is in the same manner as of ignorance, etc., as said before. The gap between mind and the seer can breed disharmony and disturbance in one's self. As fire is deprived of fuel, the yogi has to remove the latent impressions from the consciousness and extinguish them, for it to be in harmony with the seer. Patanjali advises the yogi to eradicate disturbances by reintroducing yogic disciplines with faith, vigour and vitality. As the sadhaka earlier strove to rid himself of the afflictions of avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha and abhinivda, the exalted yogi must, through practice, press, dry out and close the perforations in the consciousness. In 4.27 verse stated that subconscious impressions surface in the form of intellectual pride, which hinders progress towards the goal of union with the divine seer. As roasted seeds do not germinate, so the fire of wisdom mnst burn out impressions and ambitions, e...

Verse 4.27 तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥२७॥ tat-chidreṣu pratyaya-antarāṇi saṃskārebhyaḥ ||27|| The thoughts that arise as obstructions to that are from impressions. The force of past impressions may create loopholes in the form of intellectual pride or other varying moods or modes of thought, which breach the consciousness and disturb the harmony and serenity of oneness with the pure Self. This sutra shows a way to combat old impressions which may influence the mind and fissure it. Patanjali cautions that even for the supreme intelligence, the subconscious samskaras may surface in this intermediate stage and sway the consciousness. Patanjali advises yogis who wish to be free from worldly life to be constantly vigilant in order to overcome these old habits, lest their consciousness waver between the desire for perfection and actual perfection. The uninterrupted practice of yoga unconditionally vanquishes these fissures in mind, and eradicates doubts and prejudices, so that...

Verse 4.26 तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम् ॥२६॥ tadā viveka-nimnaṃ kaivalya-prāgbhāraṃ cittam ||26|| Then bent on discriminating the mind attains the previous state of Kaivalya (isolation). When the exalted intelligence is ablaze, mind is illumined; it becomes free and tinged with the divine (citta suddhi) . Due to this divine light, citta, with its exalted intelligence, is drawn as if by a magnet towards its source: the indivisible seer who is alone, free and full. Before reaching the state of exalted intelligence, mind is attracted more towards the pleasures of the world. When intelligence is free from doubts and prejudices, it gravitates towards the absolute seer. As a farmer builds dykes between his fields to regulate the flow of water, exalted intelligence builds a dyke for the mind, so that it does not move again towards the world, but turns and flows towards union with the divine seer. This is kaivalya, an existence filled with freedom and beatitude. Such a yogi becomes...

Verse 4.25 विशेषदर्शिनः आत्मभावभावनानिवृत्तिः ॥२५॥ viśeṣa-darśinaḥ ātma-bhāva-bhāvanā-nivṛttiḥ ||25|| For the discriminating the perception of the mind as Atman ceases. When the difference between mind (citta) and the projector of the Consciousness (chit) is recognized, the search for Self-Realization ends. From 4 . 15 to 25, Patanjali takes the sadhaka progressively to the realization that mind is not the all-knower, but simply an instrument of the soul. For one who is not sure of the difference between mind and soul (citta and citi) , an analogy is given; the blades of grass which shoot up during the rainy season prove the existence of the hidden seeds. In this sutra Patanjali's explains that the seed of the soul (atma brja) is sown at the right time for the knowledge of the soul (atma jnnna) to be firmly established. As we mistake a rope for a snake at first glance, but realize that upon examination that it is a rope, consciousness at this stage realizes that it is not all-knowi...

Verse 4.24 तदसङ्ख्येय वासनाभिः चित्रमपि परार्थम् संहत्यकारित्वात् ॥२४॥ tat-asaṃkhyeya-vāsanābhiḥ citram-api para-arthaṃ saṃhatya-kāritvāt ||24|| The mind through its innumerable desires acts for another (the Purusa), being combinations. Though mind has been clouded with impressions (samskaras) throughout eternity, its aim is not only to satisfy the desires of the senses (bhoga) but also to further the emancipation of the soul. Mind is tied by a hidden force both to the seer and to nature. It is well equipped to reach the seer, though it has no ambition of its own except to serve its Lord. Mind has innumerable tendencies and impressions derived from memory, among which longing for pleasures and freedom from pleasures stand out. They are desired impressions. From this, it becomes clear that consciousness, being close to nature and spirit, feels that it does not exist for its own sake but for the sake of purusha and Prakriti;ti.  In the same way that a lover of God offers food, clothe...