DEFINITION OF YOGA : EASTERN VERSES WESTERN YOGA
With this article we want to visualize the meaning of YOGA , by giving reference of our two most esteemed religious scripts BHAGWAD GEETA and YOG VISHISHT, it has been commonly realized that the present meaning of YOGA is just taken on the basis of physical exercise and elasticity of human body to improve endurance of our physical body . Its commonly observed that yoga is represented as tough asanas or gymnasic version of original asanas ESPECILLY OF WOMWEN JUST TO LURE PEOPLE (mostly by yoga guru from west AND COMMERCIAL YOGIS ) but it should be made in mind that the aim of YOGA is much higher. It should not be limited only till the development of the physical body but to refine our mind and soul to achieve the ultimate stage of everlasting peace. By siting these examples we want to give a brief ideas about the power and perspectives of yoga which our religious scripts show, our sages worked for thousands of years to visualize the meaning of YOGA, they practices numerous sadhnas to achieve higher stage of ultimate bliss. We are giving an idea by two esteemed religious text BHAGWAT GEETA and YOGA VISHISHT
Bhagwan Shri Krishna defines yoga in The Bhagavad Gita, , as Clear, discerning, totally voluntary, dynamic participation in one’s life in everlasting, primal, revealing, the archetypal light and fueled by love. Heightened sensitivity and awareness of all life around us and within us, and an outpour of love in reciprocation with life’s wonder and beauty. By the different forms of yogas we can achieve pure, determined force that moves us toward the mysterious and secret, and connects us with the wonderfulness of existence, of being and of all life.
Then Krishna tells Arjuna that four types of people turn toward him: those who are distressed, those desiring knowledge, those seeking personal gain and those possessing knowledge.
“Among these, the person of knowledge, who is constantly absorbed in yoga that is solely an offering of love, is exceptional. For I am so dearly loved by the person of knowledge, and that person is dearly loved by me” (7.17)
Yoga is a heightened sensitivity and awareness of all life around us and within us, and an outpour of love in reciprocation with life’s wonder and beauty.
One of the gratest sage Maharishi valmiki in a verse of YOGA VISHISHT says “When the mind is at peace and the heart leaps to the supreme truth, when all the disturbing thought-waves in the mind-stuff have subsided and there is unbroken flow of peace and the heart is filled with the bliss of the absolute, when thus the truth has been seen in the heart, then this very world becomes an abode of bliss”
He whose mind is firmly established in peace through the practice of yoga has the right vision of the truth. To see that the supreme self is without beginning or end, and that these countless objects are in fact the self and no other, is the right vision. Erroneous vision leads to rebirth; right vision ends rebirth. In it there is no subject-object (knower-knowable) relationship; for the self (consciousness) is the knower, knowledge and the knowable, too, and the division is ignorance. When this is directly seen there is neither bondage nor liberation.
Liberation is attained when one arrives at the state of supreme peace after
intelligent inquiry into the nature of the self and after this has brought about an inner awakening. Kaivalya or total freedom is the attainment of pure being after all mental conditioning is transcended consciously and after a thorough investigation.
Hopefully this will give atleast an idea about long range and definition of YOGA (atleast superficially ), because YOGA is such avast field that it cannot be explained in few line, our sages spent thousands of year in sadhna and research for this, and its very humble effort of ours to tell something about YOGA
Refrences
Valmiki’s YOGAVASISTHAFrom a Translation by Swami Venkateshananda
Edited by Dennis B. Hill
Shree bhagwad geeta
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