PATANJALI
YOGASUTRAS
CHAPTER-3
VIBHUTI PAADHA
Samyama is the process of seeing your multi faceted
self, from different angles – and ultimately realizing all of them. In Samyama,
we start with Dharana on a particular Goal – and therefore, all wisdom
pertaining to that Goal and it extensions - comes to the Sadhaka in
Samyama. We have seen that process in earlier sutras upto 3.51 – and we are
continuing with the same further here.
sthaani upanimantrane sanga smaya
akaranam punah anista prasangaat
Ø sthani = Devatas, those
controlling natural Powers
Ø upanimantrane = by invitation
Ø sanga = by association
Ø smaya = a smile arising
out of pride
Ø akaranam = not to entertain
Ø punah = again
Ø anista = undesirable
Ø prasangaat = Getting
involved
When the Sadhaka is
becoming more and more proficient in his Sadhanas and Samyama; and when he is
able to enter into Samadhi at will, many things start happening around him.
There are celestial angels
or Gods, all around us who are controlling various powers of nature. They
become interested in the Sadhaka now. They extend invitation to the Sadhaka to
accept various Powers – from them. Many
Sadhakas will be instantly enamoured by receiving such solicitations and
invitations from these heavenly beings.
Should the Sadhaka accept
such invitations and solicitations proffered by the angels or Gods? No – says Patanjali.
The very fact of receiving
such invitations from celestial beings will create a sense of achievement in
the Sadhaka. Even this, says Patanjali, must be guarded against by the Sadhaka.
It is of course a fact
that the Sadhaka has come a long way in his Sadhanas.
But, now, he is just a
hair-breadth distance away from his Goal of Kaivalya. Therefore, many other
Goals are presented before him as diversions, by the Celestial beings. Why do
they do it?
It could be the vital,
last test, before the Sadhaka is admitted to Kaivalya.
The super-human powers,
however great, are not comparable at all with the Goal of Kaivalya. On the other hand, their impact on
Sadhaka is to take him again on the downward path – into ego and all ego based thoughts, words and actions.
In the eyes of the world
and other human beings, he may be considered as Great. But, he becomes a fallen
yogi, having fallen at the final goal Post.
Vs. 3.53
ksana thath kramayoh
samyamaath viveka-jam jnanam
Ø ksana = (present)moment
Ø thath = its
Ø kramayoh = succeeding moments
Ø samyamaath = By samyama (dharana
+ dhyana + Samadhi)
Ø viveka = (from)discrimination
Ø jam = born of
Ø jnanam = wisdom
The last of the Samyamas is also the most difficult
and least understood concepts for the Sadhaka.
What is time? How do we divide time into past,
present and future?
We say, this moment is the PRESENT, all past
moments put together is the past, and all future moments put together is the future.
This classification is not really as simple as it
looks to the lay man. It is just not enough for the Sadhaka. He needs a
complete understanding of time, which is the most enigmatic concept of all,
that rules our life.
Too many questions arise in the Sadhaka and they need
to be answered and their mysteries solved before the Sadhaka understands the
concept of absolute time. It has nothing to do with the clock time that we are
all accustomed to. It has nothing to do with the biological clock built into
every living and non-living entity.
How small is the present moment?
How small is the just past moment, and how is the
present moment connected with the just past moment?
How small will be the next moment? And where was this
next moment before it came into our life as the present moment?
What links the past, present and next moments?
Can they be without a link? Is that our experience
of them?
Where are the past moments going into ? Are they
getting stored somewhere and are they available to us, when and if we want
them?
Where are all the future moments right now and who
is forcing them into our lives, one after another, and how?
There are many such answerless questions, which
need answer. It is not easy for ordinary human beings to answer them at all.
Only the Sadhaka of the highest stature has access
to this wisdom about the enigma of time.
The mystery of time dissolves before him when he
performs samyama on this succession of moments.
This samyama on the succession of moments – is the
ultimate samyama for the Sadhaka.
He has a huge reservoir of knowledge of the higher
planes already, having done the Samyamas prescribed by Patanjali in earlier
sutras. Now, Samyama on the succession of moments reveals him a new dimension
of ultimate discrimination of the real from the unreal, of the steadfastness
from the fleeting.
Vs. 3.54
jaati laksana deshaih
anyata anavacchedaath
tulyayoh thathah pratipattih
Ø jaati = category of species
Ø laksana = characteristics
Ø deshaih = place
Ø anyata = distinctiveness
Ø anavacchedaath = not separated
Ø tulyayoh = of two comparable, similar
objects
Ø thathah = thereby
Ø pratipattih = knowledge for
distinguishing
As stated in previous sutra, Samyama on the
succession of moments gives a unique knowledge to the Sadhaka. What is the
Nature of that wisdom?
Normally any object , living or non living, is
distinguishable from all other objects by three criteria.
1.
First
is Jaati or category of the species.
Cow is a Jaati. Man is a Jaati. Mountain is also a Jaati. The first distinction
between objects is at this level of Jaati.
2.
Second
is characteristics of the object.
Has it two or four legs? Has it a tail or wings or just two legs? Is it white or black or any other colour? How
tall it is? Like this, there are infinite number of characteristics, to
separately understand an object from others – within the same Jaati.
3.
Third
is the location in space. Two cows can still look the same from the Jaati or
characteristics points of view. Then, they are to be distinguished by the
location they are at. Even a few inches away from each other, each can be
differentiated by their location. These are the three criteria by which we
understand and differentiate each object from others.
But, this is normal categorization and
discrimination. What is so special about the Sadhaka’s discrimination between
any two objects?
His perception or his wisdom goes beyond all these
three criteria. Even if two objects cannot be discriminated form each other by
all these three criteria, even in such case, the Sadhaka, through Samyama on
succession of moments can still distinguish between them.
What does this mean?
Consider yourself. You are a man; Your
characteristics are defined and same. You are sitting at the same place for an
hour. An hour before, you were some thing. An hour later, you are a different thing;
a different man! It becomes clear to you – if you consider that you sit at same
place for 10 years. In 10 years, you are a different person. A Sadhaka can see
how you looked like 5 years ago, and how you look now. He can also see into the
future too.
So, the three criteria that normally define everything
and enable us to discriminate that from all others can be surpassed by Sadhaka,
to whom higher means are available through his Samyama.
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