Raja Yoga : The Path of Psychological Control

The snake promised and received the mantram from the guru, who then went on his way, saying that he would return later on to see the disciple. “Practise regularly,” he told the snake, “ and, remember, don’t bite!” Some months later the guru returned that way to see his new disciple. He went near the hole in the tree and called out the snake’s name. But there was no answer. Again he failed. Then the snake slowly carawled out of his hole. It was lean and emaciated. It hardly had the strength to move. The holy man was asthonished to see this condition and asked the snake replied, “Revered guru, I repeated the mantram you gave me and meditated upon it regularly. I kept my promise to you about not biting anyone. But, the mischievous little boys of the village noticed the change in me. One day one of the boys picked me up by the tail and whirled me round and round in the air, and then dashed me to the ground. Since then my body has been in this condition, for I have been too weak to go out for food. That is why, revered guru, you find me in this state.” “My son, “ said the guru, “it seems you did not fully understand me. I asked you not to bite anyone; I did no say not to hiss! In this way, you would have protected yourself.”

So ahimsa has to be well-understood. It is not just a “namby pamby” relinquishment of all your rights. The practice of ahimsa is the first pole in the construction of your “defensive wall.” The second discipline is the observance of truth, or satyam. Truth should be followed with judgement and discrimination. Just making a statement of fact is not always truthful. The facts must be subjectively judged and understood in that light. Truth is often distorted through fear and selfishness. Overcome the tendency to distort truth; then the mind will not be disturbed by those waves of fear ad selfishness, the subtle causes of the habit of lying. Observe truth, not only in speech but in act and thought as well. Truth is that which brings us nearer to perfection. Follow the truth in every gesture of your body. Saturate your whole being with truth so that your life becomes a living illustration of it. Then you will have taken one more step towards the realization of that perfection which is the goal of yoga.

Thirdly, the yogi must observe nonstealing, or asteya. Stealing means the misappropriation of someone else’s property or right. This applies to both act and thought. It may be gross, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual. If you misappropriate the properly of others, a wound will be inflicted on your consciousness. You cannot then expect to enjoy the depth of meditation. The non-recognition or non-acknowledgement of service done by others is also “stealing”. Do not even appropriate the words of others without acknowledging the source. When Ramakrishna quoted anyone he would always mention, with reverence and humility, from whom he had heard the statement. In fact, Ramakrishna’s life was the living example of all the disciplines of yoga. The next discipline is brahmacharya, which means continence or the conservation of sex energy. The word can also mean “roaming in Brahman.” For a person to exert his best in any line of endeavour, the conservation of energy is necessary. Brahmacharya is especially important for the student to yoga. The benefits of continence are threefold: physical, mental, and spiritual. Behind the sex instinct is the instinct for immortality; if that energy can be understood and managed and converted into another channel, it will lead us towards the highest realization.

Human instincts and the dictates of a wayward mind are not always good. One should be careful, however, not to be overly reactionary; this is almost as bad as indulging in excesses. Do not consider yourself “extra holy” merely because you avoid certain things. A student of yoga should learn to consider himself as neither a man nor a woman, but simply a human being. Sex consciousness is sure to bring a reaction from the opposite sex. Whatever may be the nature of the reaction mental or physical, it creates disturbances of mind. Medha, or brilliance of intellect, and a keen development of all the faculties are obtained by the conservation of sex energy. A strong body, a steady nervous system, and a brilliant mind, undisturbed by desires, are necessary requisites for the practice of yoga. Therefore, a student must rise above sex consciousness. This is what is meant by the practice of brahmacharya. The fifth post in the defensive wall around the yogi’s field of action is the non-acceptance of obligatory gifts, or aparigraha. This needs to be well understood. For one thing, if you accept gifts from people who expect something in return, do you think you will be able to maintain your independence? Will you be able to uphold fully the cause of justice where these people are concerned? The consciousness of obligation is always disturbing to the mind. Since gifts sometimes prove to be bribes, one has to be discriminating. Observe this principle: see that the giver has no motive except pure love. Secondly, see that the gift comes exclusively from the side of the giver, that it is given freely. The receiver should not expect anything. The acceptance of a gift greatly cherished in the form of a desire causes bondage. If there is no motive except pure love on the part of the giver and no expectancy on the part f the receiver, the gift will cause no bondage or difficulty.   Read Previous   Read Next