Yoga and the path of meditation

  Dr. Rajesh Kumar,Ph.D. sanyasi Bhargava

+91-9820779216

 

 

To understand yoga as it is taught and experienced by thinkers, seers, Rishis, yogis, sanayasins, sadhus and the self realized, one must comprehend the classical roots of yoga as well as practical implications of yoga, at all segments of life. To deepen their own experiences on the path of self-discovery, aspirants must understand that just as all streams finally submerge into the ocean, similarly different branches of yoga lead to realization of the ultimate truth. The understanding of yoga in modern century is not a complete picture of yoga. Modern generations are aware about hatha yoga, raja yoga, kundalini yoga, kriya yoga, karma yoga, gyan yoga, bhakti yoga and so on. These different branches of yoga help to develop progressively and in accordance with time and demand of human life.  The progressive evolution of yoga is always with the gradual evolution of needs of different grades of the society. If we study carefully the scriptures and traditional text of yoga, we  can easily comprehend  the real picture of yoga before commencing the yoga practice.   From lord Shiva to Parvati and Krishna to Arjuna, the secrets and myths hidden within different branches of yoga cannot be easily digested or understood by  the common man .

 

LET US UNDERSTAND THE ROOTS FROM WHERE YOGA ORIGINATED

 

The story of yoga and the wisdom of yoga origin dates back thousands of years ago, when our society was living in tribes and community pattern of lifestyle in the forest and jungle. 

The first orator of yoga was lord Shiva who gave the knowledge of Pashupata yoga to his disciple Parvati.

During the time of Buddha, Maharshi Patanjali explained the concept of Sage Kapila’s Samkhya Philosophy and presented to the world, a beautiful compiled doctrine in the name of Yoga sutra of Patanjali. In the doctrine of Patanjali, Yoga is defined as a science of mental control wherein different dimensions of human personality and behavior are also mentioned. The current era is different from the era of Patanjali, Buddha and Sage Kapila. 

The gross nature of human mind has not changed very much.  The wisdom of yoga and meditation exists since many years, the value of methods of application could nevertheless be measured as a tool for helping modern era generation find stability in this world and experience the essence of consciousness in day-to-day life.

 

A large group of psychologists had anticipated the possibility of onslaught of severe degree of psychological problems in the society even before the technological revolution began.   At present the whole world is confronted with the ever-increasing burden of stress and anxiety.

In the western culture, norms and ideas of a subject is based on materialistic approach, the perception of happiness and growth depends on the economic status. In eastern world, the main challenges faced by the people, are food, shelter, medicines and sustainability of life, meaning fulfilling the very basic needs of life.

Finally, the challenges remain everywhere in each country, change of place does not really make any difference. There is a void experienced by all, people feel something always missing from their lives.

 

There has been a story about Mullah Nasruddin who was looking intensively for something near the street lamp, then wife and peddler asked with the quest nature of human, “what are you searching Mullah?

Mullah replied, “I have lost my key “.

The helping nature of mankind made everyone start looking for Mullah ‘s home key. After a long intense search for the key, a question arose to identify the way to finding the key more simplified and made easier.

The question arose where did you lose the key Mullah

Inside or outside the house?

Mullah Nasruddin replied, “I lost key in the house.”

Then why you are searching it in here, was obvious question asked to mullah.

Mullah Nasruddin replied because

‘‘Here is light, where as inside the home, the darkness prevails’’

This story indicates we all are looking for the key; these keys are for happiness, keys to bliss, keys for freedom, keys for peace, keys for whatever...

All we are trying to find the keys in outside world in the guise of power, money, name and fame etc. thinking all these comprise   light that is found only outside.

There are very few who look inside to find the key, which is lost inside, and has to be searched within one’s own self

Inside our darkness are fear, loneliness, conflicts, and escaping from the introspection of the self

Meditation is a real key to open the door to consciousness.

 

The efforts have always been made by the past generations to overcome the challenges, to understand the real needs of society, to realize the importance of social and moral values for the welfare of society.  An individual’s life is always wandering in quest for   happiness and the basic universal drive to be happy and content compels him to always search it.

The creation has been always inspired and deep rooted in the impulse to satisfy our longing for happiness, desire for love, beauty, friendship, accomplishment, strength, wisdom and also spiritual attainment.

 

During the 13^th century poet Jalalauddin Rumi observed, “The wings of humankind are its aspiration.”   The aspiration was the real cause of evolution in creation of literature, science, technology and the spiritual understanding or attainment of spirituality.

LET US KNOW MORE ABOUT MEDITATION

 

Every individual has his or her own commitment, responsibilities, for social and personal development with the respect of life. The personal development has a great association with the external world. The goal has been made to bring about the change in the strata and relevant values in an individual’s life. The absolute changes or transformation is the need of the hour.

 

The knowledge of meditation helps to resolve the quest and the individual’s purpose for life. The meditators begin to realize the cause of negativity; disappointment, sorrow and sufferings do not have the source from outside. The cause of all sorrows and suffering is inside. Once we are able to identify our sources of sufferings and pain, we can ignore the situation or by pass them with developed awareness. Also, there is a chance to resolve inside to be as a seer of own or self.

Meditation is a communication with the soul and consciousness. The practice of meditation helps the transcending awareness with consciousness for becoming one with infinite and supreme, which is the source of self- illumination, light and wisdom. Meditation is not an art for forgetting, escapism, not to enter the darkness or nothingness. Meditation is a tool for self-discovery.

Maharshi Patanjali explains meditation as that state when the mind becomes free from the awareness of subjective and objective experiences. It is only then that meditation begins.

When an individual is no longer distracted or confronted with external images and the mind also stops the hearings and has no longer sense of hearing from of external sounds, there is a total absorption of mind with the sense of object. The loss of I-ness and no more recognition and deep relaxation state is experienced.

During the state of meditation, the life force, prana begins to play and movement occurs within all the dimensions of the meditators. For the practitioner of meditation, mind is fully controlled with the deep and sharp awareness from the external world into internal world by an effort of one pointed concentration.

By the process and progress of meditation, the meditators transcend the normal capacity of mind and achieve complete oneness with the objects of concentration.

Surely, the experience of meditation will not occur during the first time, constant and regular training of the mind for a long time is required for achieving this state of mind.

The state described here is the actual state of meditation that can achieve after one perfect in meditation or success in meditation, which leads to concentrate and experience the fruits of meditation.

The meditation opens a beautiful path, where an individual becomes witness, sakshi, and drashta of own and gradually expands the awareness to self. Meditation leads to solve unfolds truths of an individual’s life. The inspirational force makes easier to face daily challenges of life. There are people who are afraid of meditation practice due to complete introversion and lesser interest in worldly pleasure. The practitioner must balance his or her own activities with inner and outer world, and then the result or outcome of meditation is the feeling of completeness.

The joy of inner silence will refresh the mind and give a relaxed and blissful state of experience.

 

The practice of meditation induces a deep state of peace and relaxation that guides the entire spectrum of life. The meditation practice leads to restore the function of cell tissues and the functions of internal organs of the body as a result of deep rest occurred by the practice of meditation. The body goes constant on anabolic process of growth and repair during the practice of meditation and the catabolic process of decaying can be slower or inhibited with the meditation. In the wisdom of alternative healing therapy, meditation has a great impact on the psychosomatic illness.

The most beneficial states of mind are when the total states of concentration are achieved during the practice of meditation.