PATANJALI 1.A.S. CLASSES Yoga Philosophy Yoga: Citta; Cittavrtti; Klesas; Samadhi; Kaivalya f Traditional Founder PATANJALI Meaning of Yoga: Cessation of the Modifications of Chitta Importance Practice of Yoga is the best way of Self-purification Patanjali is the traditional founder of the Yoga system. The world *Yoga’ literally means “Union”. i.e., spiritual union of the individual soul with the Universal soul and is used in this sense in the Vedanta. Jv Patanjali, the word Yoga does not mean union, but spiritual effort to attain perfection through the control of the body, senses and mind, and through right discrimination between Purusa and Prakrti. In this context Yous indicates a system of disciplinary method of control the physical and psychical elements of mind for attaining the highest goal kaivalya. Yoga is closely associated withSinkhya. They are two sides of the same coin.Sankhya is the theory, Yous is the practice. It should be noted, however, that Sankhya is basically an atheistic system, but Yoga is theistic. Hense it is sometimes called ‘Sesvara Stnkhya" or ‘theistic Sankhya’, It is one of the parts of Orthodox system. Patanjali propagated his philosophy of Yoga in his great work ~ Yoga-Sutra CHITTA (fav) Yoga is defined as the cessation of the modifications of Chitta. Th : © ‘ a. This cessation is through medita ees a aee called Yorn Gosah Gamiidiih) Ting ths most apotant ve psychology of Yoga is Chita ae eet is tp Chita means the three internal organs of Sankh: h gans of Sankhya ~ buddhi os ct, aha tind. In other words, Chitta is the same as Antahkar es ‘nkara or ego and manas rana. It is mahat : i anas or and manas. + Atis mahat or buddhi, which includes ahankara HARA STICS OF CHITTA ©), Chitta is the first evolute (modification) of P; a rakrti and ha as the predominance of sattva over Tajas and (Gi) It's in itself unconscious. But being finest and therefore appears as if itis conscious, (Gti) When Chitta gets related to any object, it assumes the ight of consciox called ‘ina’. Purusa is es me it wrongly identifies itself with e modification, Chita, therefore, i nePATANJ: ES itta appears consciousness, just as the itta ay i grand waves appear 8S jous due to purus: of its reflection in the Chitta, Purusa appears changing and Chit & moon appears as moving when seen reflected in the moving WAVE Te conse similarly purusa appears as undergoing modifications and Chi reflection in it i i from the m When the purusa realizes that it is completely isolated from t io original condition. This cessation of the modification of the chitta through ™ the return of the purusa to its original perfection. Stages of Chitta ‘The Chitta may remain in five different stages or levels. Thes' Been x which are conducive to the realisation ofthe nature ofthe self: ‘These mental stiSe™ °° Bhum?’, The Chitta is constituted by the elements of sattva rajas and tamas. The difitech! determined by the different degrees in which the elements (Gunas) are present in it. In some kind of repression of mental modifications. The Chitta has the following five stages 1. Kshipta or Restless (fat) : In this first stage, the mind or Chitta is in under the s\ tamas, The mind flits from one object to another without resting in any, This condition is not at al conducive to Yoga, because it doesn’t help us to control the mind and the senses. It is the lowest level odification of Prakrati, it returns to its tation is called ‘Yoga’. I ¢ are the five conditions or levels of men aay of rajas and 2, Mudha or Blinded (torpid) (4g ) : In the second stage an excess of tamas in chitta is present and tendency towards vice, ignorance sleep and the like. 3. Vikshipta or Distracted (faférat) : Here sativa predominates, but rajas also asserts itself at ti This is stage of temporary concentration of Chitta on some object, which is followed by distract Steady concentration is not possible in this stage. 4, Ekagra or concentrated (GT) ; The fourth stage of Chita is called Ekagra or Single-pointed or concentrated. The mind here is entirely dominated by sattva, and rajas and tamas are subdued. Here Citta is purged of the impurity of rajas and tamas and there is perfect manife a : stage the mind remains steadily fixed on a particular object See OF sattva. In this 5. Niruddha or restrained (fr ) : It is the highest level. arrested/completely checked. There is no object before the abject, there is no transformation ot modification of the citta in the absence of any modifications, the citta is left in its original unmodified state ae ae oe tranquility At this state all mental modifications citta at this stage. In each of the above condition of the mind there is some ki stale of the mind excludes other different state Cocoon See mental modifications; one at the level of “Ekdgra’ and ‘Niruddha’ are conducive to yopa. ‘They wees, St {WO levels namely the ultimate goal, namely, liberation, In the ekagra level, the mind sone Me ttl for the attainment of and is focused on one object only. But in the last stage absence of any object- there is no transf ue ‘ formation or modificati called asamprajfinata yoga or asamprajiata samadhi (rae + the state of Niruddha is ‘modifications being stopped in this stage, nothing is known or thought a because all mental 1e mind, 46PATANJALI LA. CHITTA VRTTI (fart GFA) (MODI FICATION OF CHITTA) gans of Sankhya - Buddhi ‘According to Yoga Philosophy, the word 'Chitta' means the three intemal organs of oe ae fmiligence-stuf), Ahankara (egoity) and Manas (ming). Chitta is the first Be (er peo) at Peat rn it jas anc was. is qs in itself unconscious. But it has predominated by Sattva over rajas Ey Fess initself, but being finest and nearest to Purusha, it possess the power to reflect Purusa saan sift conscious. When the chitta gets related to any object, it takes on the “form’ of that object. iscalled Vitti or modification. The Purnsa or self knows the objects of the world through the modification of ati — correspond to the forms of the objects known, Purusa is essentially pure consciousness. TOE C= i undergoes no change or modification, But it wrongly identifies itself with its changing states in He °° it appears to be subject to change and pass through different states of Chitta. Chitta, therefore, is the PY S! medium for the manifestation of Purusa. Just as the moon appears to be moving when we see it reflected the moving waves and waves appear as luminous, similarly Purusa appears as undergoing modifications and Ghitta appears as conscious. Because of its reflection in the changing states of Chitta, the self appears to have changes. The modifications of Chitta are of the following five kinds: () Right Cognition (Pramfna - WAT It is of three types: (@) Pratyaksa or perception: When the Citta through the sense organs comes into contact with the extemal object and assumes its form or comes info contact with the external mental state, then right cognition occurs, (b) Anumana or inference: When citta cognizes the generic nature of things the right cognition occurs. (©) Shabda or verbal testimony : Right cognition also occurs through shabda or verbal testimony, (ii) Wrong cognition (viparyaya) (fawa):- Viparyaya is positively wrong knowledge like that of a rope- snake. It includes doubt and uncertain cognition. (il) Merely Verbal cognition or imagination (vikalpa) (Frart):- Vikalpa is a mere verbal idea caused by ‘words, to which no real things correspond. For example, the idea of hare’s horn, (iy) oe eee a — ven ee ee is oe absence of cognition, yet it is a mental f c person says ‘I slept sound and knew nothing? e besome mental modification to suppor this absence of knowledge pene es aaa (¥) Memory (smrti) (=f) : Smriti is the recollection of behind. Itis the reproduction of past experiences without a Past experience through the impressions left iny alteration or innovation. All cognitive mental states and processes may be included chitta is modified into any kind of vrtti or states, the sels reese oe = thinks it to be its ‘own state. The self thus appears to pass throu; ude itself to be subject to birth and growth, decay and death a seri and wakes up, remembers and commits errors, and ‘eality, the self or Purusa is beyond all these me ¢ kinds of modification, When Particular modificatio igh different states of chitta. The ae death at different periods of time. It believes they tains true cognition by removing the 4 ntal states and processes, which really bel aoe Due to the reflection of the self in the C1 : thitta, the self 1 SS , : wwron i fx! appears tobe subject to five kinds of afMictions or kleshas, nS Me Stes and processes of 47PATANJALI L.A.S. CLASSES Kleshas (Afflictions) (#171) | ss and is free from the Ji a pie to be undergoing change a nd Chitta appears conscic f all painful or pleasurabl imitations of Prakrt i consel According to Yoga, Purusa is essentially pure consciousness tt But it wrongly identifies itself wath its reflection in the Chita 208 Baste modification. On account of its reflection in Chita Purusa appeafs ANT In this way it becomes the subject of birth and death and agen experiences. Itis subject to the following five kinds of sufferings known as Klesas. () Ignornace (Avidya) ( atferat): It is the wrong knowledge of the non-eternal upleasant as the pleasant and of the impure as pure. ba Fes Gi) Egoism (Asmita) ( a1fe1at) : False conception of identity between Purusha and Prakrti an is the ve of self as admitting of no distinction between them is Asmita, In other words, it is the false conception identical with buddhi or the mind, (ii) Attachment (Raga) (71) : It is the acute thrist for worldly pleasure and the means of its attainment as eternal, not self as self (iv) Aversion (Dvesha) (3%): Feeling of jealousy with anger for others is Dyesha. (x) Fear of Death (Abhinivesha) ( a1ffraer ) : It is clinging to life and instinctive fear of death, The bondage of the self is due to its wrong identification with the mental modifications, Hence liberation is tho end of this wrong identification through appropriate discrimination between Purusa and Prakriti and the consequent cessation of the mental modifications through the practice of Yoga Alll these Kleshas cause wrong identification with the mental modifications and cause bond questions arise — “How are the afflictions to be removed According to Yoga, itis possible through continued endeavour Yong and persistent practice that @ person acquites the habit of detachment which wl impart to him th Aiscriminative knowledge ofthe self and the not-self. The details of this practice are set farct in the form of eight steps which are called the limbs of yoga (astanga yoga). The eight steps are : yama (abstent niyama (observances), asana (posture), pranayama (conttol of breath; eee erention from their objects), dharana (fixed attention), dhyana ( lage. H and the mental modifications suppre: (abhyasa) and dispassion (vairagya). It is by ! ), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the sen ‘meditation), and samadhi (concent aids, and the last three int Signifies the stages within ethical training, th aims at ights of yoga, an ; ration). Of the eight steps, the first five are said to be external ‘means the disciplines that lead to yoga proper, and ‘internal’ control. Of the external aids, the first two constitute the fourth is designed to regulate the vital process, and the fifi have been practised, one is ready to scale the hei fernal aids : xtern in Yoga which is min the third is physical culture, the se-control. When these techniques ‘Yoga advocates control over the body, the senses 5 liberation. The Fight fold Path of Discipline (Ashtanga sti ee © Bet rid of the Kleshas and to atta Purpose. They are followings :~ ) has been 1 Kleshas and to attain Prescribed and recommended for this ‘Yama, Niyama, Asana, Prandyéma, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, § ‘amadhi 48PATANJALI I.A.S. CLASSES i in Yoga. Samadhi means concentration. In it the co ree oat tia. rth at ofreiaton andthe bet of maiatn i ighest st ion of ment bane one, Ths sean th he et which th conection withthe ous word fs froken and through which one has to pass before achieving liberation, Samadhi is of two kinds:- (@ Samprajiiata or Sabeeja (Rear ar aais mfr) (Conscious or Attributed) : In this kind pcan ’ consciousness of the object of meditation still remains. The mind remains concentrated, fully E le * the object of meditation, But still the consciousness of the object of the meditation persists. This state o this Samadhi has four distinctions or four kinds: : (@) Savitarka (afta): When the Chitta is concentrated on a. gross abject of meditation like the tip of the nose or the mid-point of the eyebrows or the image of the deity. (b) Savichara (rent): When the Chitta is concentrated on a subtler object of meditation like the tanmatras. (©) Sananda (a4): When the Chitta is concentrated on a still subtler object of meditation which produces joy, like the senses (@) Sasmita (arftrt) ; When the Chita is concentrated on the ego-substance with which the self is gencrally identified. Here we have conscious ecstasy where individuality persists. (ii) Asamprajiiata or Nirbeeja (sregra 2r Frat) (supra-cotiscious or Attributeless) : This is the highest form of Samadhi in which difference between the knower, knowledge and known disappears and they are fused into one. In it all Kleshas or attributes evaporate. That is why. it is called Nirbeeja or A\ Samadhi. This Samadhi has two kinds . pee (@) Bhava Pratyaya (sr mraz): Samadhi is disturbed dne to ignorance; Bhava means ignorance, ignorange here means seeing the self as not-self. In this kirid of Samadhi only th e : ¢ ; he samskaras of the Passions remains. Thus the ignorance is not absolutely destroyed till this stave and pea crit ‘even after the attainment of this stage the beings haye to retum fo the world asnin. = (0) Upaya Pratyaya (sere waz): In this kind of Samadhi, the ignorance, is absol the arousal of prajid (rem). All the Kleshas are annihilated in this Grounded in true knowledge. This is the Samadhi of the Yogis, ‘complete knowledge and ecstatic joy to the Chitta, i lutely destroyed due to and the Chitta becomes well- It brings absolute concentration, ‘Yoga generates certain supra-normal powers, But they : rain a *y should be avoided a nly on liberation which is the end of humi life. The ideal is ee oe tteml and fre life of the Purusa, free from Prakrt, ee KAIVALYA (221) (Liberation) Liberation or freedom from bondage i i lage in the Yoga i oe rom bondage in the Youa system is Kaivatyg, © nee mance nondisrimination between the self and the OL aod Tanto Yes bondage is Henimination between the self (Purusha) and the nov-self "| “e*Ation is owing to right attention should be fixed tbsolute independence and 49PATANJALI I.A.S. CLASSES discriminative knowledge, and are made incapable of 2 predominant and translucent and the stream of the means of attaining liberation. When afflictions and their dispositions are bumt by producing their effects, the sattva of the mind becomes, discriminative knowledge becomes pure and untainted. It is Fe ceraty Yous advocated both embodied release and disembodied release. The self is consi Ue TT i O and liberated, It is said to be in bondage and liberation only in relation to prat ee ee betibciaicd attributed to the self it is said to be in bondage and when they are destroyed they are Ignorance > the conjunction of self with the mind ~ threefold pain > bondage. ¥ devehe conscious naturz) > Right knowledge > discriminative knowledge > self realizes its intrinsic nature (pure conscious ) Self is dissociated from Prakrti > Liberation (Kaivalya) GoD ‘The Sankhya does not recognize the existence of God. The world evolves out of Prakrti, when the equilibrium of the three gunas, which constitute Prakri, is disturbed by the mere proximity of Purusa or the self. The existence of God is an unnecessary assumption so far as the evolution of the world is concerned. But Patanjali introduces God in the yoga system. Patanjali describes God as a special kind of self or Purusa, untouched by afflictions, actions, fruits and dispositions. God of yoga system is omniscient and omnipotent. He is the non-empirical or noumenal self. ‘The Yoga philosophers have advanced the following proofs or arguments to prove the existence of God: (1) The Vedas refer to God, and the Vedas are infallible. For the infallibility of the Veas, they are accepted 5 a source of valid knowledge. The empirical individuals with their limited knowledge cannot be the authors of the Vedas. The author of the Vedas must, therefore, be God, who is omniscient. (2) The law of continuity tells us that there must be the highest limit of knowledge and power which is God Where there is difference in degree, there must be a lowest and a highest limit, Knowledge and power admit of degrees of excellence, Some of us possess knowledge in a greater and some in a lower degree Some possesses more power and some less. Where there are a great and a greater, there must also be a Breatest. In no human being do we find omiscience and omnipotence, because huinan beings are finite So, there is God in whom tere are knowledge and power in utmost degree. God is the hehe embodiment of knowledge and power. a (3) The evolution of the world requires the association of Prakti is acti Biceneelote, While Fink 8 eahicolows, but inaclive, How two such independent etic’ coe By ea ei leith Santa tas nod Geewatie to expe be ene satisfactorily. ‘The yoga removes tis dificlty with the help of God. The associa, Bsiclaton of Prakrti and then Purusa are brought about by God. Hence the existence of God x tee som (4) Devotion to God isthe surest way of obtaining concentration and there by liberati Ge Ishvare-pranidhana as a means to attain Samadhi only, but later Yoga philo: - a iets best means because God is not merely an object of oor Cope tite the pea ncentratio impediments from the path of Yoga and thus makes iteasy. PU* #89 the great lord who removes The foregoing discussion makes it clear that this world. He is only a special Purusha. He does Prakritis, all eternals and absolutes, are there to li Purusa and Prakrti oe is not the creator, Preserver or destroyer of ae a Punish the souls, Innumerable Purushas and + sie'cannot grant liberation. He can only remove 50\TANJALI 1.A.S. CLASSES obstac cf hing to do with the bondage and the les in the upward progress of the devotees, Directly He has not 0 with the bondage and t fpeaion of the Purushas. Ignorance binds and discrination between Prakrti and Purusha liberates. The end of human life is not the union with god, but only the separation of Purusha from Praksti Vijnanabhikeshu has Itmust be admitted that Patanjali has not gtiven much importance to God in his You a also admitted God only as secondary in yoga. God is only one of the many means to reach the ultimate end itical Evaluation of Yoga Philosophy An allegation is often arised (heard) against the Yoga that it is magic mixed with religion is setaige much a system of philosophy as a school of mysticism and magic, Sometimes it is confused with tant self hypnotization. Ground for leveling these charges against Yoga is following:- (@) Certain magic powers are acquired during the course of yogic sadhana is recognized by the Youa. GH) The Youin acquires various super-normal powrs in his passage from one stage to another stage in the Process of Yoga. The yogin can walk without touching the ground, can see very remote things, can hear very distant sounds and can become invisible. Fire cannot burn him, thors cannot pierce him. He:can Zo-anywhere he likes, The mention of these super-normal powers in the Yoga is mainly responsible for Hs being dubbed as a magic. Magic cannot be the proper vehicle for attainment of greater and higher ideas. Hence, itis contended that the Yoga system is not a real and noble philosophy. But this allegation against the’ Yoga is not correct, since it is based on a misconception of the real aim Gf the Yoga, The chief aims of the Yoga are the complete arrest of the mental states and processes ani pateby atu liberation. It is tue tht there arise some supernatural powers while the aspirant passes frena trequage {© another inthe course of the Yoga practices by which the mental states are to be complecin arrested. ‘These super-normal powers may be achievements to a person who is progressing in the course of Be ea cet they ae really obstactes to Samadhi, The Vibhutipada (sutra $1) clearly wane tea oe yogin Bete rita eee cal powers, he will surely Iave'a fall. They are aspirants of a hese callibre who Pratties Yoga for acquiring the supernatural powers only. The Youa is forthe atanae > of liberation. It tis no other end. Ithas been clearly states inthe Yoga that freedom can be gaines only through the disregard Of these perfections attendant upon the successful practice of the yoangas. The supemormal pose Perfections are the by-products of the higher life. The supernatural powers “are the flowers which Pon to pick on the road, though the tre seeker doesnot set out on his tavele gather them” These me wers have ne i : ‘Se Supernormal Pe esate aie: Te lesa oe tos te Younis improper the allegation is based on materials which stand deprecaied in the Yoga itself. 7 Atthe liberation of the self Ba self. ‘The Yoga is pre-eminently a mental discipline aiming In fact, Yous is a great system of spiritual disci : a ipline and has b all Schools of indian philosophy except Charvaka, Yous is founded ont To remove corruption and control others s and Niyam are very in eal problems, ¥ ; portant for every individual being °88 Philosophy play important role. Wasa 51