Raja Yoga : The Path of Psychological Control

In every religion there are certain commandments that are to be observed by its followers. But usually we do not find any psychological explanation for them. for that reason, people of this modern age rebel against the very word, “commandments.” They might be convinced of the benefit and utility of some of them, but still they resent that some authority attempts to impose these commandments upon them. therefore, the “thou-shalt-nots” in my religion are not very popular with many people today. Whenever we feel that something has been imposed upon us by an authority, and we have been denied free choice, we feel rebellious. I myself have a good deal of objection to this word “commandments.” But, are they really commandments? They are principles, rules, regulations that have been handed down to us by experts, not by “authorities.” With that evaluation, a rational, self-respecting “modern” should be able to accept them eagerly. In every religion these principles are nothing but the “defensive wall”, that a notice puts around his field of life in order to raise the crop of spiritual perfection. In fact, if we do not build such a wall around us, we will be unable to succeed in any activity in any department of life.

Perfection in raja yoga means the attainment of that state of consciousness in which there is no bondage, no limitation, no imperfection of any kind. Consciousness in its pristine “form” or state is Brahman. As the yogi’s aim is to transcend the bondage of limited consciousness, so his primary endeavour is to control his mind. The different obstructions to this goal must be analyzed and brought under control. To gain power over the lower self, on e must start with some basic disciplines. The entire system of raja yoga has been considered by Patanjali as composed of eight steps, so it is called ashtanga yoga or the “yoga of eight limbs.” The eight steps are : yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. We shall discuss all of these.

Patanjali discusses disturbances to the chitta under the first two categories, each of which comprises five disciplines. Under yama these are : the observance of non-injury, truth, non-stealing, continence, and the non-receiving of obligatory gifts. Under niyama the five are : cleanliness, contentment, self-discipline or austerity, regularity of study, and self-surrender to a higher power – God )\(if you believe in a God). These ten preliminary disciplines are the “defensive measures.” We may call them the ten posts of a protective wall which the yogi builds around his field of action. I might mention here that these items form the very basic of ethics. For the first time in history. Patanjali established in the form of these disciplines a subjective standard of good and evil. Whatever actions and thoughts help to establish the calmness of the mind-stuff are to be considered good; those which distract from it are bad. That which takes us away from perfection is bad; that which brings us nearer is good. This is the yogi’s standard of good and bad.

These practices must be understood, appreciated, and sincerely followed by every serious student of yoga. If he fails to practise these disciplines, his endeavour would amount to trying to fill a bathtub with water with the drain open. He may strive for perfection but if he is not particular about blocking the “drain”, by means of these disciplines, he will eventually realize that it is all in vain, that nothing has been achieved. As a rational human being and sincere student, he must concentrate all his forces to check the wastes of energy; for these keep the mind in an agitated state. This must be done before he can proceed in his experiment with yoga. The first discipline is non-injury, or ahimsa. You must discipline yourself so you will not injure any living being by thought, word, or deed. There are many aspects to this, both subjective and objective. The psychological aspect is that by doing injury to others, your mind is disturbed. The memory of having inflicted injury will arise in the mind like ripples on the surface of a lake, and frustrate all our efforts at meditation. If you hurt anyone, if you are jealous, or envious, rude or unjust to any being you can never enter the gate of yoga. A yogi must love and sympathize with his fellow beings. His life must be a life of service to all. Ahimsa has deep significance and a vast field of application.

Regarding the practice of non-injury in practical life, Sri Ramakrishna told a humorous story. There once lived a poisonous and vicious snake near a small village. He lived in a hole in a big tree and terrorized the villagers. One day a wandering holy man sat down under this tree and the deadly viper rushed out of his hole to attack him. “Stop!” ordered the holy man calmly, “You have no power over me.” Immediately, the snake lay still. “My son,” the holy man continued, “why do you kill people for no good reason? I understand a tiger or a lion killing for food, but with you killing I s a pleasure more than a necessity. I’m going to cure you of this vice. I will give you a mantram which you are to repeat regularly. Promise me that you will not hurt anyone, for any reason whatsoever.”  Read Previous   Read Next