Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

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...

Verse 4.23 द्रष्टृदृश्योपरक्तं चित्तं सर्वार्थम् ॥२३॥ draṣṭṛ-dṛṣya-uparaktaṃ cittaṃ sarva-artham ||23|| Coloured by the seer and the seen the mind is able to understand everything. Mind, being in conjunction both with the seer and the seen, appears to an average individual to be all-pervading, omniscient and real. When one is cultured and purified, one realizes that mind has no existence of its own but is dependent on the seer. As the physical frame is the body of mind, so mind is the body of the seer. Mind is the bridge between nature and soul, and its conjunction is either illumined by the seer or tainted by the seen. The  wise yogi frees mind from the qualities of nature; he keeps it clean so that it is reflected without distortion both by the seer and the seen. When the waves of the sea subside, they lose their identities and become the sea. Similarly, when the waves of the seer - the senses of perception, mind, intelligence and consciousness - subside, they lose their identiti...

Verse 4.22 चितेरप्रतिसंक्रमायाः तदाकारापत्तौ स्वबुद्धि संवेदनम् ॥२२॥ citeḥ apratisaṃkramāyāḥ tat-ākāra-āpattau sva-buddhi-saṃvedanam ||22|| The essence of knowledge (the Purusa) being un-changeable, when the mind takes its form, it becomes conscious. Through the accomplishment of pure consciousness comes knowledge of the unchangeable seer who rests on his own intelligence and nowhere else. When consciousness no longer fluctuates, then its pure nature surfaces to comprehend itself.   Mind has two facets, one pure, divine and immutable, the other changeable, transient and exhibitive. It has no light of its own but acts as a medium or agent between the seer and the objects seen. Due to ignorance, it does not realize that it is impersonating the seer. But the seer knows the movements of the mind. When one facet of mind ceases to operate, it ends its contact with the external world and stops collecting impressions. The other facet is drawn to the seer, and the two unite. Intelligen...

Verse 4.21 चित्तान्तर दृश्ये बुद्धिबुद्धेः अतिप्रसङ्गः स्मृतिसंकरश्च ॥२१॥ citta-antara-dṛśye buddhi-buddheḥ atiprasaṅgaḥ smṛti-saṃkaraḥ ca ||21|| Another cognising mind being assumed there will be no end to such assumptions and confusion of memory. Plurality of mind would result in lack of understanding between one mind and another, leading to utter confusion and madness. Patanjali therefore concludes that mind is one and cannot be many. As a tree has many branches, all connected to the trunk, the various wavelengths of thoughts are connected to a single mind. This mind remains pure and divine at its source in the spiritual heart. When it branches from the source towards the head, it is called created consciousness,, which, being fresh, is untrained and uncultured.  The moment it comes into contact with objects, it becomes tainted, creating moods in the thought-waves. These moods arc the five fluctuations and five afflictions .These moods should not be mistaken for a plurality of m...

Verse 4.20 एक समये चोभयानवधारणम् ॥२०॥ eka-samaye ca-ubhaya-anavadhāraṇam ||20|| From its being unable to cognize two things at the same time. It ( mind) cannot comprehend subject-object, observer-observed, or actor-witness at the same time, whereas the seer can. Day and night cannot exist simultaneously. Similarly, restlessness and restfulness cannot co-exist in absolute juxtaposition. In between night and day there is dawn. In the same way, there is space between the flow of restlessness, cittavrtti or and restfulness,. In between these two rivers of restlessness and restfulness,.and underneath them, flows the concealed invisible secret river, the river of.the soul. This is dawn, or the sudden arrival of enlightenment. For a yogi, restlessness is the night and restfulness is the day. In between, there is a third state which is neither day nor night but dawn. It is the diffusion of mind, in which the rivers of restlessness and restfulness unite in the seat of absolute consciousness. Wh...

Verse 4.19  न तत्स्वाभासं दृश्यत्वात् ॥१९॥ na tat-svā-bhāsaṃ dṛśyatvāt ||19|| Mind is not self-luminous, being an object. Mind being the seedling of the seer, its growth and luminosity depend upon the seed, the light of the seer. Its own light is as that of the moon, which is reflected light from the sun.  The seer represents the sun, and mind the moon. As a child feels strong and secure in the presence of its parents, mind, the child of the seer, draws its strength from the seer. Mind, like the senses of perception, can normally see an object but not its own form. For an average person, the eyes pose as the seer when apprehending worldly objects.  For an intellectual person, the eyes become the seen, and the mind the seer. For an enlightened person, mind and intelligence become objects for the consciousness. But for the wise seer, mind itself becomes the object perceived. The seer can be subject and object at the same time; mind cannot. It may therefore be inferred that ...

Verse 4.18 सदाज्ञाताः चित्तव्र्त्तयः तत्प्रभोः पुरुषस्यापरिणामित्वात् ॥१८॥ sadā jñātāḥ citta-vṛttayaḥ tat-prabhoḥ puruṣasya-apariṇāmitvāt ||18|| Purusha is ever illuminative and changeless. Being constant and master of the mind, he always knows the moods and modes of consciousness. The Lord of mind is the seer. He is changeless, constant, and never alters or falters. In deep sleep, mind forgets itself. It is purusha, as a witness which reminds the mind of sleep after waking.  This indicates that purusha is ever alert and aware. Purush's alertness will be known to the sadhaka only when consciousness is purified and freed from rising thoughts and their restraints. Then the sadhaka, the seeker, becomes the seer. The seer knows his consciousness and its ramifications. He is the seed and root, and consciousness is the seedling. Its stem is the 'I' Consciousness , which branches forth as ego, intelligence and mind. The seer, being the seed and root of consciousness, observes the...

Verse 4.17 तदुपरागापेक्षित्वात् चित्तस्य वस्तुज्ञाताज्ञातं ॥१७॥ tat-uparāga-apekṣitvāt-cittasya vastu jñāta-ajñātam ||17|| An object remains known or unknown according to the conditioning or expectation of the consciousness. A conditioned mind can never perceive an object correctly. If the mind sees the object without expectation, it remains free. An object is understood and known according to the expectation of the mind, or remains unrecognized owing to the absence of reflection. When the object attracts the mind, contact and reflection begin.  This gives rise to knowledge. If the mind fails to come in contact with the object, it does not perceive it and the object remains unknown. If mind is conditioned or coloured knowledge of the object also becomes coloured. When the consciousness reflects on the object without condition, taint or expectation, its real essence is known. Similarly, if the mind reflects on the essence of the seer without conditioning, bias, or prejudice, the min...

Verse 4.16 न चैकचित्ततन्त्रं चेद्वस्तु तदप्रमाणकं तदा किं स्यात् ॥१६॥ na ca-eka-citta-tantraṃ cet-vastu tat-apramāṇakaṃ tadā kiṃ syãt ||16|| Things are known or unknown to the mind, being de-pendent on the colouring which they give to the mind. The essence of an object is not dependent upon one's mind. If the mind does not recognize the object, it means that mind or consciousness does not see, or that the seer is not stimulated by, the object.  But this does not mean that the object does not exist. As prakrui is as real and eternal as purusha, so are object and subject. Due to unripe intelligence and differences in the development of consciousness, each individual perceives objects according to his own intellectual 'wavelength', though their essence does not change. When a yogi reaches perfection in his sadhana, intelligence and consciousness touch the supreme knowledge: he becomes a fulfilled yogi, and remains merely an uninvolved witness of objects. Man is a trinity of bo...

Verse 4.15 वस्तुसाम्ये चित्तभेदात्तयोर्विभक्तः पन्थाः ॥१५॥ vastu-sāmye citta-bhedāt tayoḥ vibhaktaḥ panthāḥ ||15|| The object being the same, perception and desire vary according to the various minds. The object (nature or prakruti) is as real as the subject (purusha) , but though the substance of nature or object remains the same, the perceptions of it vary according to the difference in the development of each person's consciousness. Here, consciousness is the perceiver and the object perceived becomes the object to be known. On account of rhe wheel of time, substance and qualities of nature, and consciousness as perceiver develop differently in each individual. Though different perceivers see an object in different ways, it remains the same. For example, the same man or woman is a pleasure to a beloved or a lover and a pain to a rival. He or she may be an object of indifference to an ascetic and of no interest to a renunciate. Thus, the object is the same, the perceiver sees in...