Inner Yoga

Now that we have considered the different branches of Yogic science in its outline, we may legitimately ask ourselves where this science has its roots, from where it stems.

These roots go down to the very depths of Indian lore and literature which is one of the richest and most profound humanity has created.
If we were called upon to choose one book from the overwhelmingly rich store if Indian sacred literature, we would, unhesitatingly select the "Bhagavad Gita", or "Song Celestial" is a fragment of the great epic, the "Maha Bharata" which is comparable to the "Iliad" and "Oddyssey" of the Greeks. The subject of this epic is the war between two Indian tribes, the great war of the Bharatas, which is supposed to have been fought in the thirteenth century before Christ. In it, the Bhagavad Gita is a sort of philosophical poem, of unknown [sic] authorship, the most noble and purest expression of Hinduism in existence. It is today considered as one of the great spiritual classics and taken by millions as their guide to the inner life. The Gita in reality is in itself a textbook of Yoga, a guide on the path by which man unites his finite self with the infinite self. But it is not so much a synthesis of the separate systems or techniques we have discussed before, but the undivided whole of which the separate parts, Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga are only partial interpretatinos. Every student of Yoga should study the Bhagavad Gita, read it again and again and meditate on its teachings. We can here give only a glimpse of that vast depth under the surface of which, like golden gleaming fish, flash some of the most profound thoughts of humanity. Our selections are based on a French translation by Anna Kamensky, which we have found to be free of poetic licence and truest to the original, while still maintaining the musical rhythm of the poem.

Selections from the "Bhagavad Gita"
"Be concerned with the deed alone, never with its fruit. Never let the fruit of thy deeds be thy motive, as thou shalt never attach yourself to action."

"There is no pure reason for the undiscipled one; and there is no meditation for him; without meditation there is no peace. Can there be happiness without peace?"

"No man shall escape from action by shunning action; and none shall come unto perfection by mere renouncement."

"Be detached and do your duty. In performing your prescribed task with spirit unattached you shall mount to highest bliss."

"As the ignorant one acts through attachment to action, the wise one acts without attachment, for the welfare of the world."

"It is said that the senses are strong; but stronger than the senses is the intellect; stronger than the intellect is pure reason; but, in truth, greater than reason is He."

"He who abandons all attachment to the fruit of action is always content; he needs no ther refuge; he does not act even in performing an action."

"Content with all he obtains naturally, freed from the pair of opposites, free of envy, equal in success and failure, he is not bound, even when he acts."

"Better than all outward sacrifice is the sacrifice of knowledge, O Prince! All actions, in their sum total culminate in wisdom."

"In truth, nothing in this world purifies like wisdom; he who is perfect in Yoga will in his time find wisdom in the Self."

"He who is full of faith, and master of his senses obtains wisdom; and having acquired it he soon reaches Peace Supreme."

"But the ignorant one who is faithless and full of doubt goes down to destruction. For him who doubts there is neither this world nor the other, nor any happiness."

"He who acts in dedicating all his actions to the Eternal One, abandoning all attachment is not troubled by sin, the same as a lotus leaf is not touched by the waters."

"Even on this earth all is surmounted by those with an equal mind; the Eternal One is pure and immutable, that is why they live in the Eternal One."

"The pleasures arising from contact verily are only sources of pain and trouble since they have a beginning and an end, O Prince! It is not in them that the wise ones seek their joy."

"He who within himself has found joy will attain the peace of the Eternal One."

"To this peace approach those who know themselves, who have freed themelves of desire and passion, who are masters of themselves and their thoughts."

"He who regards with the same impartiality his beloved ones, his friends and his enemies, the unknown and the indifferent, strangers and near ones, the good and the bad, goes beyond all others in Yoga."

"Verily, Yoga is not for him who eats too much and abstains too much, nor for him who sleeps too much or stays awake too long."

"Yoga kills all suffering for him who is regular in his meals and in recreation, regular in his activities, regular in sleeping and waking."

"Know that this is Yoga, this deliverance from pain. To this Yoga one should devote oneself with a firm will."

"Supreme is the joy of the Yogi whose mind is calm and the senses under control; he is sinless and becomes equal to God."

"He, whose self is harmonized through Yoga sees the Self in all creatures and all beings in the Self. Everywhere he sees the same."

"Steadfast as a lamp burning sheltered from the wind, thus is the Yogi absorbed in the Yoga of the Self."

Arjuna asks: "And he who has not mastered himself but who is full of faith, whose mind wanders ceaselessly away from Yoga and who fails to attain perfection, what becomes of him, O Krishna?" The blessed Lord says: "O son of Pritha, neither in this world nor in the next is there destruction for him; verily he who tries to follow the path will not be lost."

"Among thousands of men one alone perhaps strives to attain perfection; of those whose efforts are crowned with success there is perhaps one who knows Me in truth."

"Four kinds of people adore Me, O Arjuna; those who suffer, those who thirst for knowledge, those who seek their personal salvation and the wise ones, O Prince of the Bharatas."

"He who at the hour of his death will think of Me alone, shall surely enter into My being."

"Whatever is offered Me with devotion: a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I accept it from My servant as an offering made with love."

"I am the same for all beings, no one inspires Me with attraction or dislike; but they who adore Me with devotion are in Me and I am in them."

"Even the gratest of sinners, if he adores Me undividedly, shall be considered a just one, because verily he has resolved rightly."

"O Prince! I am the Self, residing in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle and end of all."

"If the splendour of a thousand suns should burst forth in the heavens all at once, that would be comparable to the radiance of the great Being."


Selections from the Upanishads
Upanishad literally means a "sitting down beside", a session, an esoteric doctrine. In a wider sense, the Upanishads are the conclusion of the Vedas and are devoted to theological and philosophical speculations on the nature of the world and man. The fundamental doctrine of the Upanishads is the identity of the individual soul (atman) with the world soul (adman-brahma). The formula "tat tvam asi", "thou art that", is the keynote of all Upanishad teaching. The following excerpts will exemplify this point.

Thou Art That
   The father said to Svataketu, his little son:
   "Bring me a fig from that fig tree yonder."
   "Here is one, sir."
   "Break it."
   "It is broken, sir."
   "What do you see there?"
   "Some little seeds, sir."
   "Break one of them."
   "It is broken, sir."
   "And what do you see now?"
   "Nothing whatsoever."
   Then the father said to his son: "Of that subtleness which you cannot see is the great fig tree made. In that subtleness all that exists has its essence. That is the True, that is the Self, and thou art That."
   "Pray sir," said the son, "tell me more."
   "So be it, my child," the father replied and he said, "place this salt in water and come to me tomorrow morning."
   The son did as he was told. Next morning the father said, "Bring me the salt which you put in the water." The son felt for it but could not find it, for the salt had dissolved.
The father said, "Taste some of the water from the surface. How is it?"
   "Salty."
   "Taste from the middle. How does it taste?"
   "Salty."
   "Taste some from the bottom. How is it?"
   "Salty."
   The father said, "Throw the water away and then come back to me."
   The son did so; but the salt was not lost, for salt exists forever. Then the father said, "Likewise in this body of yours, my child, you cannot perceive the True; but there it is. In the subtle essence all that exists has its being. That is the True, that is the Self, andd thou, Svetaketu, art That."

            - From the Chandogya Upanishad


"The Self, free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, hungerless, thirstless, real of desire, real of purpose, - that Self is to be sought after and inquired about, that Self is to be realized. All worlds he wins and all desires who understands the Self," said Prajapati.

Both the gods and the demons heard of this. "Come," they said, "let us seek out this Self so that we can win all the worlds and the fulfilment of all desires."

Thereupon Indra of the gods and Virochana of the demons set out and approached Prajapati, the famous teacher. They stayed with him as students for thirty two years. Then Prajapati asked them: "For what reason have you lived here all this time?"

And they replied: "The Self, free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, hungerless, thirstless, real of desire, real of purpose, this should men inquire after and should seek to know. All the worlds he wins and all desires who realizes this Self. This they report to be your saying, sir, and that is why we have stayed."

Prajapati said to them: "The Being who is seen in the eye - that is the Self. That is deathless, that is fearless an that is Brahman."

"Sir," inquired the disciples, "who is seen reflected in water or in a mirror?"

"He, the Atman," was the reply. And Prajapati added: "Look at yourselves in the water, and whatever you do not understand, come and tell me."

Indra and Virochana looked at themselves in the water and when Prajapati asked them what they had seen, they replied: "Sir, we see the whole of ourselves, even down to our hair and nails." Then Prajapati bid them put on their finest clothes and look again at their "selves" in the water. This they did and when asked again what they had seen in the water, they answered: "Sir, we see the Self, exactly like ourselves, well adorned in our finest clothes."

And Prajapati said: "The Self is indeed seen in these. That Self is deathless and fearless, and that is Brahman." And the students went away content.

But gazing after them Prajapati lamented: "They have gone away without comprehending the Self. Whoever follows this doctrine, as it is false, must surely perish."

Satisfied that he had found the Self, Virochana returned to the demons and explained to them that the bodily self alone should be served and that he who serves the body gains both worlds, this and the next. And this, in effect, is the doctrine of the demons; and when one of them dies they furnish his body with food and clothing, imagining that therewith he will win the world beyond.

But Indra, on his way back to the gods realized the uselessness of this knowledge. "As the Self," he reflected, "seems to be well adorned, well dressed when the body is well dressed, so too will it be blind when the body is blind, lame if the body is lame, deformed if the body is deformed. Nay more, this same Self will perish when the body perishes. I see no good in such knowledge." And so he returned to the teacher for further instruction. Prajapati received him kindly and bade him stay with him for another two-and-thirty years, after which he said to him:

"He who wanders about rejoicing in dreams - he is the Self. That is deathless and fearless, and that is Brahman."

Indra departed again, content of heart. But before he had rejoined the other angelic beings, he realized the uselessness of that knowledge also. "True it is," he said to himself, "that this new Self does not become blind if the body is blind, not lame, not deformed if the body is lame or deformed; but nevertheless even in dreams the Self is conscious of many sufferings. So I see no good even in this teaching."

And so, once more he returned to Prajapati for more instruction and stayed with him for another two-and-thirty years. At the end of that time Prajapati taught him thus: "When a man is asleep and in perfect peace, dreaming no dreams, then he realizes the Self. That is deathless, that is fearless, and that is Brahman."

Indra departed, content of heart. But even before he had reached home, he felt the fallacy of this knowledge also. "When one is asleep," he thought, "one does not know oneself as 'This is I'. One is not conscious of any existence. I see no good in this knowledge either."

So Indra went back to Prajapati once again to be taught. The teacher bade him stay another five years. At the end of that time, after having stayed with Prajapati altogether for one hundred years, the sage taught him the highest truth of the Self.

"This body," he said, "is mortal and forever in the clutch of death. But within it resides the Self, immortal and without form. This Self, when embodied, is subject to pleasure and pain. But joy and sorrow touch not what is unembodied. Rising above physical consciousness, knowing the Self as unembodied, distinct from the sense-organs, one rejoices and passes into the Supreme Light."

            - From the Chandogya Upanishad.


Study is not Enough
The Self is not realizable by study nor by intelligence and learning. The Self reveals itself only to him who devotes himself entirely to the Self.

            - Katha Upanishad


Two Birds
Two birds reside together in one tree which is the body. One of them, the soul, consumes the fruits of its actions, but the other, God, without partaking of them, witnesses all.

The soul, pressed down in the body, being deluded with ignorance, grieves at its own insufficiency, but when it perceives its mate, the origin itself, it feels relieved.


A wise man, knowing God as residing in all creatures, forsakes all idea of duality, being convinced that there is only one existence which is God. He directs all his senses toward God alone and on Him exclusively he places his love, abstracting his mind from all worldly objects.

            - Munduk Upanishad.


Wisdom of Kapila (Founder of the Sankhya System of Philosophy)
Though one devotes himself to many teachers, he must take the essence, as the bee from the flowers.
He who is without hope is happy.
Not by enjoyment is desire appeased.
The lotus, wherever it grows, is beautiful and pure.
Rites are but forms and works. They are not the chief end of man.
Only soul can be liberated; because only that can be isolated, in which blind, changeful qualities are but reflected and do not constitute its essence.


Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali
Patanjali probably lived in the second century B.C. and is considered the founder of the Yoga system of Indian philosophy. The Yogasutras or aphorisms are commonly ascribed to him; they formulate the principles of the Yoga philosophy. Here are a few samples.

In order to exclude from the mind questionable things, the mental calling up of those things that are opposite is efficacious for their removal.

When harmlessness and kindness are fully developed in the Yogi, there is a complete absence of enmity, both in men and animals, among all that are near to him.

From purification of the mind and body, there arises in the Yogi a thorough discernment of the cause and nature of the body.

By means of the regulation of the breath, the obscuration of the mind, resulting from the influence of the body is removed.

Fixing the mind on a place, object or subject is attention.

The continuation of this attention is contemplation.

This contemplation, when it is practised only in respect to material subject or object of sense, is meditation.

When this fixedness of attention, contemplation and meditation are practised with respect to one object, they, together, constitute what is called concentration.

By performing concentration in regard to benevolence, tenderness, complacency and disinteredness, the Yogi is able to acquire the friendship of whomsoever he may desire.

By concentrating his mind upon the solar-plexus, the Yogi acquires knowledge of the structure of the material body.

By concentrating his mind upon the nerve centre in the pit of the throat, the Yogi is able to prevent his body being moved, without any restraint exertion of his muscles.

The Yogi can, after long practice, disregard the various aids to concentration hereinbefore recommended for the easier acquirement of knowledge, and will be able to possess any knowledge simply through the desire thereof.

By concentrating his mind upon the true nature of his soul as being entirely distinct from any experiences, and disconnected from all material things, and dissociated from the undrestanding, a knowledge of the true nature of the soul itself arises in the Yogi.

From the particular kind of concentration last described, there arises in the Yogi, and remains with him at all times, a knowledge concerning all things, whether they be those apprehended through the organs of the body or otherwise presented to his contemplation.

The powers herinbefore described are liable to become obstacles in the way of perfect concentration, because of the possibility of wonder and pleasure flowing from their exercise, but are not obstacles for the Yogi who is perfect in the practice enjoined.

By concentrating the mind upon the relations between the ear and Akasa (the ether), the Yogi acquires the power of hearing all sounds, whether upon the earth or in the ether, and whether far or near.

By concentrating his mind upon the human body, in its relation to air and space, the Yogi is able to change, at will, the polarity of the body, and consequently acquires the power of freeing it from the control of the law of gravitation.

When the Yogi has completely mastered all the influences which the body has upon the inner man, and has laid aside all concern in regard to it, and, in no respect, is affected by it, the consequence is a removal of all obscurations of the intellect.

The Yogi acquires complete control over the elements by concentrating his mind upon the five classes of properties in the manifested universe, as, first, those of gross or phenomenal character; second, those of form; third, those of subtle quality; fourth, those suceptible of distinction as to light, action and inertia; fifth, those having influence in their various degrees for the production of fruits through their effects upon the mind.

From the acquirement of such power over the elements, there result various perfections, to wit, the power to project his inner self into the smallest atom, to expand his inner self to the size of the largest body, to render his material body light or heavy at will, to give indefinite extension to his astral body or its separate numbers, to exercise an irresistible will upon the minds of others, to obtain the highest excellence of the material body, and the ability to maintain such excellence when obtained.

In the Yogi who has acquired the accurate discriminative knowledge of the truth and of the nature of the soul, there arises a knowledge of all existences in their essential natures and a mastery over them.

In the Yogi who acquires an indifference even to the last mentioned perfection, through having destroyed the last germ of desire, there comes a state of the soul that is called Isolation.

The Yogi ought not to form association with celestial beings who may appear before him, nor exhibit wonderment at their appearance, since the result would be a renewal of afflictions of the mind.

The knowledge that springs from this perfection of discriminative power is called "knowledge that saves from rebirth". It has all things and the nature of all things for its object, and perceives all that has been and that is, without limitation of time, place or circumstances, as if all were in the present and the presence of the contemplater.

When the mind no longer conceives itself to be the knower, or experiencer, and has become one with the soul - the real knower and experiencer - Isolation takes place and the soul is emancipated.

The mind, when united with the soul and fully conversant with knowledge embraces universally all objects.


Ramakrishna on Yoga
Ramakrishna, with his pupil and disciple, Vivekananda, probably the best-known of all Yoga philosophers and Saints was born in 1833 as the youngest son of a poor Brahmin family in Bengal. At sixteen years of age, he attended the school of his eldest brother at Calcutta and followed him when he was appointed priest to the temple of the goddess Kali, founded in 1853 at Dakshinesvar. He became a devotee of Kali. The fame of his humility and wonderful teachings spread and people of all classes fell under his spell. Following are some selections from his sayings as compiled by Swama Abhedanada.

"There are infinite ways which lead to the sea of immortality. The main thing is to fall into that sea; it matters not how one gets there. Suppose there is a resevoir of nectar, a single drop of which, falling into the mouth, will make one immortal. You may drink of it either by jumping into the resevoir or by slowly walking down along its slope. The result will be the same even if you are pushed or thrown into it by another. Take a little of that nectar and become immortal.

Innumerable are the paths. Jnana, Karma, Bhakti are all paths which lead to the same goal. If you have intense longing, you will surely reach God.

Jnana Yoga is communion with God by means of right discrimination and knowledge in its highest sense. The object of a Jnani is to know and realize the Absolute. He discriminates between the Absolute Reality and the unreal phenomenon. He says: 'Not this', 'not this', until he comes to a point where all discrimination between the Real and the unreal ceases and the Absolute Brahman is realized in Samadhi.

Karma Yoga is communion with God by means of work. It is what you are teaching. The performance of duties, not for the sake of obtaining their results, but for the glorification of the Supreme, is that which is meant by Karma Yoga. Again, worship, repetition of the name of the Lord, and other devotional exercises are also included in it, if they are done without attachment to the fruits and for the glorification of God.

Raja Yoga leads to the communion with God through concentration and meditation. It has eight steps. The first is Yama, which consists of non-injuring, truthfulness, non-convetousness, chastity and the non-receiving of gifts. The second is Niyama which includes austerities, forbearance, contentment, faith, charity, study and self-surrender to the Supreme Will. The practice of various postures is comprised in Asana, the third, while Pranayama or breathing exercises constitute the fourth step. The fifth is Pratyahara and consists of making the mind introspective and one-pointed. Concentration or Dharana is the next; Dhyana or meditation is the seventh and Samadhi or the state of super-consciousness, is the eighth.

Bhakti Yoga is the communication with God by means of love, devotion and self-surrender (Bhakti). It is especially adapted to this age.

The path of the absolute knowledge is exceedingly difficult. The term of human life, at the present time, is short. Moreover, it is amost impossible to get rid of the idea that the soul is one with the body. Now a Jnani or philosopher may declare: "I am not this body, - hunger, thirst, disease, birth, death, grief, pleasure, pain." Such assertions, however, will not make him free from these bodily conditions, so long as he is on the plane of relativity. He may be compared to a person who is suffering from the intense pain of a wound but who is trying to deny it by mere word of mouth.

When the Kundalini is awakened, true Bhakti, Divine Love and ecstasy are attained. Through Karma Yoga, one can easily attain various psychic powers. But when Karma Yoga leads to Bhakti Yoga, divine realization comes. Then all duties, rituals, ceremonials drop off like the petals of a flower when the fruit has grown. When a child is born, the young mother does not discharge any other duties, but fondles the child the whole day. As she is free from all household duties, so a Bhakta becomes free from the bondage of work after realizing God. The true Bhakta says: "O Mother, Karma with attachment I fear, for it proceeds from selfish motives, and as a man soweth, so shall he reap. I see again that work without attachment is exceedingly difficult. If I work through attachment I shall forget Thee: wherefore I do not desire such Karma. Grant that my work may become less and less as long as I do not attain to Thee. Till then, may I have strength to do, unattached, the little work that is left for me, and may I be blessed with unselfish love and devotion to Thee! Mother, so long as I do not realize Thee, may my mind not be attached to new works and new desires! But when Thou will command me to work, I shall do it not for myself, but only for Thee!"

Hatha Yoga deals entirely with the physical body. It describes the methods by which the internal organs can be purified and perfect health can be acquired. It teaches how to conquer the various powers of Prana and the muscles, organs and nerves of the body. But in Hatha Yoga, the mind must always be concentrated on the physical body. A real Hatha Yogi possesses many powers, such as the power of levitation. The practice of Hatha Yoga will bring control over the body, but it will carry one only so far. Raja Yoga, on the contrary, deals with the mind and leads to spiritual results through discrimination, concentration and meditation.

Perfect concentration of the mind is necessary in the path of Raja Yoga. Mind is like the flame of a lamp. When the wind of desire blows, it is restless; when there is no wind, it is steady. The latter is the state of mind in Yoga. Ordinarily the mind is scattered, one portion here, another portion there. It is necessary to collect the scattered mind and direct it towards one point. A Yogi controls his mind, the mind does not control him. When the mind is absolutely concentrated, the soul enters into Samadhi.

[ Editor's Note:  I wear the cheese. It does not wear me. ]

A Raja Yogi seeks to realize the Universal Being. His object is to bring the finite human soul into communion with the infinite Spirit. He tries first to collect his mind which is scattered in the world of senses, and then seeks to fix it on the Universal Spirit; hence the necessity of meditating on him in solitude in a posture which causes no distraction."



Self Realization - Swami Sivananda
Behind this world show, behind these physical phenomena, behind these names and forms, behind the feelings, thoughts, emotions and sentiments there dwells the silent witness, thy immortal friend and real well-wisher - the Purusha or world teacher, the unseen governor or master, the unkown Yogi, the invisible power of consciousness or hidden sage. That is the only permanent reality and living truth. That is Brahman or the Supreme Being, the Absolute. That is Atma. That is Self. The goal of human life is to realize the reality behind the changing phenomena. The summun bonum of human aspiration is to attain Self-Realization. Self-Realization, alone, can make you absolutely free and independent. Trust not your body, mind and the senses. Have inner spiritual life. Attain knowledge of the Self through steady devotions and discipline. Drink the nectar of immortality, quench the flames of Samsar and allay its tortures, miseries and sorrows.

Friends: Is there not a higher mission in life besides eating, sleeping and talking? Is there not a higher form of bliss than the transitory and illusory pleasures of the world? Is there not a more dignified life than the the life of the senses? How uncertain is life here! How painful is this mundane life! Should we not attempt dilligently now to reach a place, the immortal abode, our original sweet home of pristine purity and divine splendour where there is eternal sunshine, absolute security, perfect peace, and where there is neither disease, nor death, nor war?

Come! Come! Become a Yogi. Come out of your narrow holes or ruts. Crush all sorts of superstition. Aim high. To become a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer or a professor is the height of your ambition. Can this give you any kind of real freedom? Can this give you eternal bliss? Can this give you everlasting peace? Can this make you immortal? Would you not like to attain perfection and immortality? Then come. Struggle for higher things. Be bold. Look not back. March forward. Inquire: Who am I? Hear and reflect, meditate and realize the Atmic splendour. OM is Sat Chit Ananda. OM is Infinity. OM is Eternity. OM is immortality. Sing OM. Chant OM. Feel OM.