PATANJALI
YOGA SUTRAS
POST-11 :VERSE.11
CHAPTER.1
SAMAADHI PAADHA
Summary Of First 10 Aphorisms :
Now, the discipline of Yoga starts, says the first aphorism. Being in the Now; in the present, is an essential part of the discipline of Yoga.
For being in such a discipline, the reader must be a devoted disciple of the discipline. He must have respect for the Guru and the Science of Yoga.
Yoga is the restraining of the mind and all its modifications; in fact, all work done in the mind. Where (outside mind or inside?) and how (by what process) do you restrain them and what happens then? This is the discipline of Yoga.
When Chittha Vritthis are restrained - the watcher / witness (the real self) returns and abides in his real form, unobstructed by the veil of Chittha Vritthis. For the first time, we perceive our real self. Patanjali has emphasized that the Self is the WITNESS and not the doer of any thing.
When the chittha Vritthis are not restrained and the watcher/ witness is not abiding in his real self, he identifies himself with the chittha Vritthis; Which means, he is not conscious of his Self.
These Chittha Vritthis are of five types. They may be either painful or painless.
These are (1) right Knowledge having valid proof; (2) wrong knowledge; (3) Delusion / fantasy (4) deep (dreamless) sleep and (5) remembering or recall.
Right knowledge comes to us from (i) Direct Perception; (ii) Sound Reasoning and (iii) Scriptural testimony and other competent evidence. All Sciences come from right knowledge.
Wrong Knowledge is - perceiving a thing as some thing that it actually is not. Wrong knowledge arises from the weaknesses of our sense instruments; the fickleness of the mind, nature of external environment; our habits; time and space effects; effects of alcohol; negative moods like anger, desire, lust, hatred etc; friendship of the untruthful, negatively minded persons; reading books written by or listening to the spoken words of all such negative persons
Fantasies or Delusions :Some times, sounds we hear are likely to mislead us into various fantasies and delusions in the absence of any real object to support such imagination or fantasy. Internal confusion and negativity is a major cause of this. Other cause is substances like LSD. Some times, positive fantasizing about one;s own strength, beauty etc can lead people to perform better than what they normally can.
Dreamless, deep sleep is also considered a Chittha Vritthi – since, we feel the freshness effect of that sleep, after we get up. Dreamless sleep equalizes all, the king, the beggar and all those in between. All support of other chittha Vritthis must fall – for deep sleep to ensure. It is as if a superior force is carrying you into itself for rejuvenating you.
The last of chittha Vritthis, “remembering” is now to be seen :
Aphorism.11
anubhootha vishaya asampramoshah smrithih
anubhootha = some thing experienced
vishaya = the objects of experience
asampramoshah = not lost or changed
smrithih = remembering
What has once been learned and experienced, may be recalled again and again by the Chittha, when it needs it, or even, when it does not need it. This happens as long as these experiences are not lost in the memory or otherwise changed by some other experience.
But for memory or smrithi, our ordinary life becomes impossible. Whom so ever or what so ever you see, smrithi is right there to aid you to deal with it.
Smrithi is always of the past experiences.
Fantasies are always of the future, though they take the past and modify them into fantasies.
Nidraa is the cessation of both memories of the past and fantasies of the future and putting to rest, the body and the Chittha itself. Yet, it is considered a Chittha Vritthi as, Chittha refreshes itself in the process and feels it on waking up. Right knowledge and wrong knowledge are both store houses, or, data banks, recorded in the Chittha, from which memories and fantasies are drawn.
All futuristic planning and thinking is in a way, a fantasy into the future. All past is memory (or,smrithi) only. Rest of Chittha Vritthi is storing process – either right knowledge or wrong knowledge. When Chittha is done for the day, it is put into a deep, dreamless sleep. If there are dreams, they also come under memory of the past or fantasy of the future.
In final analysis – Chittha Vritthis are –
(i) Storage processes for knowledge (right / wrong),
(ii) Swinging between past memories and future fantasies and
(iii) Deep, dreamless sleep.
Do you find any Chittha Vritthi, which Patanjali has not described?
When is the Chittha in the Present; in the Now?
Is it Never?
Or, Do we start the discipline of Yoga Now? Yes. Its is Now !
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