Part 8- Yogasans: Means to achieve good health not Divine Bliss
The article states that while Yogasanas are prescribed as a means for attaining God, they should
be practiced only to maintain a healthy body. Like other spiritual paths, path
of Ashtang Yog also falls short in attaining the highest bliss of Divine Love.
Jagadguru Shri
Kripaluji Maharaj has time and again glorified the greatness of the path of
Bhakti Yog in all aspects and particularly the sweetness of bliss relished by
its devotees. On the basis of the
infallible knowledge of ancient Vedas and Scriptures, He has declared Bhakti Yog as the easiest and the most perfect
way to reach God. While the other paths
of spirituality like Karm-kand and Gyan Yog were recommended with best intentions to the people in
different times and according to prevailing circumstances, these paths cannot
help a soul experience the highest bliss of Divine Love. It is only by engaging in loving devotion to
God and humbly rendering service to Him, can one experience that highest bliss
in the universe. Shri Kripaluji Maharaj
goes further in His kirtan “jo piya ruchi mahaṁ ruchi rākhē”
and states:
jo yoga dūri kari rākhē,
prēma rasa soī chakhē rē
Such a person, who stays away from the practice of the
Ashtang Yog path, tastes the Bliss of Divine Love.
The word yog as used by Shri
Maharajji must be understood in context, otherwise it could create confusion.
In this kirtan, by yog He is referring to the Ashtang Yog philosophy. The Ashtang
Yog spiritual path is one of destroying the mind.
yogaś-chitta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
(Patanjali Yog Darshan 1.2)
Maharishi Patanjali says in His ‘Yogadarshan’,
“The aim of Yog is Chitta Vrtti Niridodh.” In other words,
to stop thinking!
The principle is ‘stop thinking, stop thinking, stop thinking - make
your mind empty’. Though this is
excellent as it will lead to detachment from the world, it is also harmful
because if the mind is destroyed, it will also destroy your Love for God. So, somebody on the path of Love does not want
to stop thinking; he wants to think of God! He does not want to destroy the mind;
he wants to make the mind Divine with the Love for God. Therefore Ashtang
Yog dries up the mind, effectively drying up the soul. That is why someone
who wants the Bliss of Divine Love keeps Ashtang
Yog away.
Staying away from this Yog however
does not mean that we stop practicing Yogasans
or Yoga postures to keep the body healthy.
Even Shri Kripaluji Maharaj at the age of ninety years practices Yogasans, thereby setting an example
for us to sufficiently take care of our bodies in order to follow the path of
spirituality. There is nothing wrong in
practicing Yogasans and Pranayam as effective means of keeping
the body healthy. These are the gifts of the ancient sages to us; they are
gifts of that ancient civilization. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I owed a
magnificent day to the Bhagavad Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if
an Empire spoke to me!” His experience is that, when he reads the Bhagavad
Gita, an ancient Empire is speaking to him!
Similarly, ancient Sages practiced Yogasans
in the forests and in the Himalayas, it is the art of keeping the body healthy
to sustain a high level of spirituality.
That gift is with us, and we can definitely embrace it. But we should not make that a means of Sadhana or spiritual practice. Our Sadhana is that of devotion, that of
Divine Love.
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