New Year: 2013 – What is yoga?

Now a days I see a Sanskrit word used widely and that word is “yoga”. This word is getting popular not only in India but all over the world. The newspapers and magazines carry a lot of articles on “yoga”. So I thought of talking about yoga as discussed in our traditional scriptures. The word yoga is taken from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj” which means to unite, to combine, to come together etc therefore the word “yoga” means union, merger. So the question arises: union between what and what? The scriptures point out it is the union between the jivatma, the individual self and paramatma, the universal self. So it means jivatma-paramatma ikyam. The scripture point out that this union between the individual self and universal self is the goal of a human life – parama purushartha or mokshah. The scripture elaborate on this union but strangely it points out in the end that this union is not possible. Having presenting this union as the goal initially, the scripture then negates that the union is never possible. Why it is not possible? Because jivatma and paramatma are not two different things, only two different things can be joined when they are away (different and away things can be joined). The scriptures later reveal that jivatma and paramatma are two words and not two different things that are away from each other. Jivatma is paramatma and paramatma is jivatma. Then the question will naturally come: If jivatma and paramatma are one at the same and union is not possible then why should scriptures introduce “yoga” as a goal? Then the scriptures themselves reveal the yoga is in fact a “veyogah”. What we really require is not yoga but “veyogah” or separation. Separation from the our delusion or mohah. What delusion? The misconception that jivatma and paramatma are different. This is our misconception: J is here and P is there, J is weak and P is omnipotent and that we have to travel and travel and ultimately merge with the Lord. This is pucca delusion and what is required is to remove this delusion. I gain knowledge to remove this delusion; I come to realize that J and P are one and the same. Therefore yoga is bheda-brahma veyogah. As Lord Krishna is the sixth chapter says that yogah means separation from our delusion.

Words over a period of time suffer from their original meaning. Brihaspathi in Sanskrit means a very intelligent person, sadly it is now reduced to mean a fool. Similarly the word “yoga” means moksha, ikyam and veyogah. It means the essence of the microcosm is the same as the macrocosm, the essence of god is the same as the individual, the jivatma and paramatma are essentially the same. Yoga therefore means the removal of this delusion that we are different from the supreme. The scripture points out that every human being must discover this moksha. Only then the fundamental and universal quest, and urge of every human being will end. Every human being has three fundamental quests which is natural to every thinking human: Who am I? Why am I here? And What am I here for? – what is the meaning of life? Often arises in the mind especially when we confront problems. But if you are having New Year parties then these questions will be suppressed. But there is no escaping this question in one’s life. As we grow older and older and our external activities come down this feeble question – what is the meaning of life?- becomes bigger and bigger. Much like the ticking of the clock; in the day you don’t hear it but in the night if you are not able to sleep then ticks get louder and louder. This question is the subtlest form of samsara. This quest will come to an end only when I discover the truth through “yogah”. This is the primary goal of every human being which in Sanskrit is called “Sadhya yogah” (the ultimate goal). Of course there are other goals in life but they are subservient to this primary quest.

The scriptures themselves talk of accomplishing this ultimate goal, Sadhya yogah. Since we have a short life and so many distractions, how to design life in such a way that before death I will hit at the bull’s eye. The scripture prescribe three designs as a means, as a method, as path to attain that path: the three sadhana (means to attain to the sadhya, the end), karma yoga, Upasana yoga, and jnana yoga. These three are called “gaunya yoga” or secondary yoga for they lead one to the primary yoga of sadhya yoga (removing the delusion). Of the three, Karma yoga is the most important for it lays the foundation for the other two. In the Bhagavat Gita Lord Krishna talks about all three yoga – karma, upasan, and jnana elaborately. In fact Karma yoga is so important that Krishna devotes one chapter (3^rd chapter) to its teaching. After elaborately it in one chapter HE condenses it in one beautiful cryptic verse, 30 verse chp. 3: Mayi sarvani karmani sannyasa adhyatma cetasa nirasih nirmamo bhutva yudhyasva vigata jvarah. This is a very important sloka of the entire Bhagavat Gita in which Krishna presents five parts of yoga. It is nice to remember this exhortation of Krishna on the New Year day so that we can benefit by implementing it throughout the year.

This is instruction given by Krishna on New Year day. May you keep moksha as your primary goal of life. You may have any number of family, corporate goals but may you keep moksha as your primary and ultimate goal or destination. Which is Jivatma- Paramatma Ikyam or bheda-brahma veyogah or freedom from delusion. This is the stage when a human being becomes a spiritual being. Don’t be a materialistic person then life becomes a greater and greater burden. The old age will be a greater burden and so may you balance material goals with spiritual by having moksha as your primary goal. Then one becomes a spiritual seeker. Spiritual as many meaning and don’t confuse it with New Year spirits! People attend so many parties and so many spirit and so take it in the right spirit. Adyatma cetesa bhava, instruction number one.

Instruction two is Mayi sarvani karmani sannyasa. May you dedicate all your actions as an offering to the Lord. Whether it is small or big action, sacred or secular action, dedicate all your actions throughout the day and throughout life, convert it into worship by dedicating all your actions as an offering to the Lord. Ishara Arpanam Karma Karu. How do you dedicate your actions?  This is my invoking the relationship between you and god in the context of every karma. This we will understand if we understand the concept of God in our scriptures. In our scriptures God is not a person sitting beyond the clouds, God is defined as invisible, all pervading intelligent principle of the entire universe, it is the intelligent complex set of laws that maintain the creation and maintenance of the universe in rhythm and harmony. This infinite number of laws works both at the macrocosm and the microcosm. This works perfectly due to which the universe functions as one organism. This law that works at the cosmic level also works at the action-reaction levels of the microcosm – the law of karma. Karma includes both the physical laws and moral laws which are called dharma. These special laws govern the actions of the individual, both the karma and karmaphallam at the physical and moral level. The scientists study only the physical laws and not the moral laws. The cosmic laws and special law of karma, who is Bhagawan, who is invisible and all pervading. So each time I do a action (karma) it will produce a result karmaphallam which is determined by the laws of karma. When we say laws of karma gives the result, we change the laws to “Lord”. For every action the Lord presiding over the laws of karma will give the result. The Bhagawan is karmaphalla datta. I am a karma kartha while God is karmaphalla datta. Shorten it I am kartha and God is Datta and so my relation to God is kartha-Datta sambandamah. Doer-giver relationship. This relation is activated is when I am involved in action. I keep on doing actions and God keeps on giving results. Generally we ignore this fact caught in karma but a karma yogi is one who remembers this kartha-datta sambandam. I am constantly aware of the doer-giver relationship and the invocation or dedication of my actions is called Ishwara Arpanam Bhavana. This is instruction two: invoke the relation between you and god.

The third instruction is nirasih nirmamo. Asih means expectation with regard to future, expectation to karmaphallam. Expectation is natural to every human being. Expectation is useful when you are planning an action. Suppose if you plan today’s programme, puja to begin at 6:30 and my talk to end at 8:15 (I keep a clock) and you expect to leave this place. All our planning are based on expectation, it is useful at the planning stage. Krishna says but when the action happens set aside as your expectation, nirasih. Never keep any expectation or don’t dwell on the expectation. Dwelling has many disadvantages and adverse fallout. The first disadvantage is that the mind gets preoccupied with the expectation and not available in the present for the task at hand. If you keep on watching your watch, maybe that is why it is called watch, you don’t listen. And therefore dwelling on expectation makes the pre-occupied mind lose its efficiency, a recipe for the wrong result. Therefore expectations are obstacles during the implementation of plans, not at the planning stage. Don’t think of the result. The second disadvantage of keeping the expectation in the mind all the time, we are looking at the world, people, event and we are looking with spectacles. Most of the people and event will not measure up to our expectation. So if I look at the world, event, people through the goggles of expectation I will develop a negative attitude to creation. A pessimistic and cynical attitude and we will conclude that everyone is selfish. Our judgment will be everyone is ungrateful. We make a list of what we give to others and then complain that they don’t reciprocate. Later we will extend it to Bhagawan also. We have divided the world into good or bad, I am good always (laughter) and therefore I should never suffer. We have our own expectation and we find that god is not doing it. Even God comes down in face of our expectation. We conclude that God is unfair and unjust and so even question whether god really exists. The way our politicians and scamsters thrive, we will become negative about everything – cynical and pessimistic and our lives will become miserable. Therefore Krishna says don’t have expectation to the result for it is jiva shristi, you are living in private world. Remove the expectation and Learn to live without labeling is God shristi.

The forth instruction is nirmamo. Each instruction is profound worth mediating for the rest of the life. It means “without claiming ownership with regard to anything in creation.” Our scriptures says that everything belongs to Bhagawan (remember not someone sitting above the clouds but an intelligent all pervading invisible principle) and I as an individual does not own anything. Legally for the sake of convenience we can own a flat, first they have ownership then they become flat! At the end of the class you can claim your chappal; ownership is only for convenience of transaction. It is very superficial for Vedanta says that don’t take ownership seriously.  May you remember that you don’t own anything but use them temporarily as gifts from the Lord.  I am a user of few things gifted by the Lord according to the law of karma. I must use these gifts in the pursuance of my primary goal, I should never try to cling to anything for it can be snatched anytime including our closest and most valuable possession, our body. The god does not ask our permission before snuffing out life. He takes it without giving advance notice or appointment. He gives and He takes, not on a whim or fancy but the law of karma. Remember this and only then you will have detachment. Ownership and attachment are synonymous and these will create a lot of problems. Because I don’t own anything I don’t have control over anything – ownership and controllership are two sides of the same coin. Therefore “nirmamo” means I don’t own anything and hence no control over anything including my own body. It should not make us fatalistic, that everything is decided by god and what should I do? We do have “freewill” – we don’t have controlling freewill but we have contributing freewill. We contribute our share to the totality. I am humble that outcome or result is something I cannot control. Remembering this fact is nirmamo (my freewill is only contributory). You go to gym every day and that’s your contribution. How it will be or will it be there after five years is Bhagawan’s edict. So keep on contributing keeping expectations out.

The fifth instruction is the most powerful and most difficult is vigata jvarah. Jvarah literally means fever. Here Krishna talks about mental fever. Mental fever is the anxiety over the result of the action that I am undertaking or going to undertake. The anxiety is jvarah and it is very very natural. Krishna advises: may you neutralize this anxiety for it reduces one’s efficiency. Actually if you follow the first four instructions properly anxiety will be less only. And we can neutralize this further by an appropriate prayer. Most people pray but the prayers are inappropriate. General prayer is: O, God give me success. This is an inappropriate prayer for I will not get what I pray for, I will only get what I deserve from the law of Karma. So praying for success is a wrong kind of prayer. Secondly in the vision of the Lord, there is no success but only karmaphallam. In creation only karmaphallam exists, success and failure are our private, our own judgement. It is our subjective interpretation, objectively there is nothing called success or failure. In God’s dictionary there is nothing called success or failure, and if you pray for success HE will not understand for these are jiva shristi. Then one may ask: Can I ask for karmaphallam? I don’t ask for success but how about asking for karmaphallam? It is also an inappropriate prayer for it is HIS job to give karmaphallam. If He keeps karmaphallam to himself HE will not have place to keep. The entire Vaikundam will be stacked. Therefoe HE will distribute and HE will disburse karmaphallam. So asking for success or karmaphallam is an inappropriate prayer, the only proper prayer is: give me courage. It is important to make these two important statements and mean them. First is, I am willing to undergo any karmaphallam that you want me to go through cheerfully according to the law of karma. Second, I am confident to go through any karmaphallam that you made me to go through. I must mean these statement not at the level of lip service but from the innermost heart. This requires a lot of courage especially in duress circumstances. I pray for that courage and according to scripture having that courage is success. That I am willing to go through and I am confident of facing any situation in front of me. How long? As long as I am tossed around by karmaphallam. And when I build this courage in the mind, my anxiety will come down. Anxiety is inversely proportional to courage – lesser the courage greater the anxiety and greater the courage lesser the anxiety. Therefore I develop courage in the mind before the result comes. Once karmaphallam comes then this courage will be converted into mental strength to face the result. It is courage before result and mental strength after the result comes in. A karma yogi does not have anxiety, there is always samatvam and no anxiety. There is no labeling of the creation. I don’t say life is terrible, I have a wonderful smile or a neutral attitude. This is equanimity or poise.

So summarize these are the five principles:

a)      Keep moksha as primary goal

b)      Dedicate every action to the Lord by invoking doer-giver relationship

c)      Keep OFF all the expectation from the mind

d)     I am not the owner or controller, I am only the user and contributor

e)      Learn to say from your heart, you are willing and confident of going through every experience, any karmaphallam.

If these five injuctions are followed that one is called a karma yogi. Upasana yoga is mental rehearsal of karma yoga. Upasana means mentally being in the presence of the Lord, lord in any form we like. In the prayer I recollect all the five principles and resolve that I will implement them throughout the day. O, God I seek your grace to follow. Above all I seek courage from you so that I am ready to face any blessed thing. This courageous life I invoke in upasana (remaining mentally near the lord).  If I practice karma yoga and upasana yoga then I am ready for jnana yoga which is nothing but a spiritual education programme under the guidance of a guru. Then my delusion goes away, jivatma-paramatma delusion goes away. J-P ikayam. Sadhana yoga will lead to sadhya yoga which is the ultimate success of life. It is this success we seek on this auspicious New Year day. With this I conclude my talk and wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous, yogic new year 2013.