The discipline of Spirit – Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Yoga is the study of sacred texts, austerity, and dedication to God combined. People read books for knowledge. They act on the methods prescribed in the books for austerity. Both introduce devotion toward God. According to Muni Patanjali yoga sutras, these three (study, austerities, and devotion) constitute the discipline of yoga (union of the self with the Supreme).

Role of Afflictions – Patanjali Yoga Sutra

According to the Patanjali yoga sutra, the discipline (yoga) should be free from impurities and should be practiced for fixing the mind on God. There are five afflictions that are roadblocks to obtaining redemption. They are listed below:

1. Ignorance – when ignorance takes the front seat, it breeds many types of disturbances, including the other four inflictions mentioned below
2. Egoism – The sense of “I am” is ego; it is good up to an extent only, until yogis learn that they’re one with the God and that they do not exist apart from God; once the yogis know they are one with the God, the feeling of “I am” fades away and the yogi thinks of himself or herself as a part of the larger picture called God
3. Attachment – is affliction towards objects and/or people; as long as the attachment is present in a person, they will find themselves pulled to things and/or people
4. Aversion – is on the other hand, the characteristic that pushes away yogis from certain things and certain people; it is opposite of attachment in a sense
5. Lack of Insight – Almost everyone clings to life irrespective of their living conditions; people wish to live forever or for as long as possible; this clinging to life comes from the fact that attachments exist; it could be fear of afterlife for some; nobody wants to die; one has to realize that the body is not eternal but an instrument (of soul) for procuring greater knowledge and aspirations; that realization comes from meditation

Such afflictions should be removed. If afflictions are present, the cycle of birth and death will continue. These afflictions can be removed by producing contrary afflictions or better still, by meditation with a goal of reaching the Supreme. Once the impressions die out, the yogi realizes that they were always there since the beginning of creation and that they won’t die even if the body dies. They can distance themselves from the body then and focus completely on the Divine. This is the gist of Patanjali yoga sutras.

Having these afflictions creates the body repeatedly. That means the cycle of rebirths continue till one realizes God and becomes One with Him using any means like devotion, meditation, or knowledge. The experiences of previous and this birth are carried forward to future births if people don’t realize that they’re considering an internal world to be external entity. Things we see, hear, think etc are products of the One Gigantic Brain that we may call God. They manifest into souls and the body perceives it as being external.

With meditation, one comes to realize that external appearances are just an illusion; that the real self is inside the body; that it is neither born nor dies; that it was always there. When a yogi realizes this much, they can remember their previous births as well. It can be painful to mix with the external world and still practice yoga with the aim of attaining the Supreme Knowledge.

Such pain may be avoided. The yogi just must realize that they are wrong in thinking that the external world is real whereas, in reality, it is just their perception created by senses.

Once the yogi can distance himself or herself from the external world, he is no longer physically or spiritually bound to the world as they see it. As said in the previous post – discipline of yoga – most yogis stop when they acquire divine powers and can distinguish right from wrong. That means the yogis are still attached to the world and their ego (individuality).

To completely understand God, meditation must continue until even the subtle mental impressions disappear. Then the yogi is perfect and in rhythm with God, according to Patanjali yoga sutras.

Austerities of Yoga

We already know that yoga is the practice of associating the self with God. There are a few things that help aspiring yogis. For example, self-restraint is a crucial factor while practicing yoga.

Initially, the brain doesn’t let the yogis practice. Too many thoughts and disturbances occur when the yogi tries to concentrate. That needs to be handled subtly. Instead of getting up frustrated and giving up, practice more and at regular intervals. It is a promising idea to practice at the same time every day. The best time to practice is said to be between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM. One should practice at a quiet place. It is not possible, however, that everyone can find a quiet place. In that case, one can use ear plugs to filter out and reduce external noise.

Self-restraint is applicable to the following:

1. Violence,
2. Pretense
3. Falsehood
4. Sexual activities
5. Other simplicity like non-acceptance of gifts

Cleanliness, being content with whatever the yogis have, a set of austerities as mentioned above, studying for wisdom, and complete devotion to God, help in reaching the goal of yoga easily.

In the beginning, it may be a bit difficult to focus. When brain starts sending out unwanted thoughts, repetitive thoughts, or irrational thoughts, yogis should cultivate opposite set of thoughts to defeat the negative thoughts. For example, if anyone is angry, it is advised that the person/yogi thinks only of peace and not about the thing that brings negative emotions (klesha/क्लेश). That way, they can obtain stability in thought.

When anyone manages to get rid of desires, wisdom comes automatically. The person can tell right from wrong. They come to know about the world’s real existence. These are experiences that cannot be defined or explained in words. One must practice yoga to experience them. Just start with OM and concentrate on the midpoint between eyes. All other things will come naturally.

It may take a while, but aspiring yogis may start believing in the power of yoga as some psychic powers come to them. This is also a point where they should avoid getting misguided by such powers. I have seen many who were content with that and give up. Then there is this set of people who fear these special changes/powers and give up.

The above explains the discipline of the spirit according to Muni Patanjali yoga sutras. If you have any questions or doubts, please comment. Let us know if you wish to add anything to the above.

Download the Yoga Sutras in English PDF

You can also download Muni Patanjali Yoga Sutras English PDF. It is a summary of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali in PDF form that you can consult whenever you want. For ease of reading, it doesn’t contain Sanskrit verses.

Want mental peace? Stay grounded in God.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for wisdom from sage Ved Vyas, sage Vashishtha, Swami Vivekananda, and others. Get a Free PDF of the Chapterwise Summary of the Bhagavad Gita upon signup. Click the button below for details.

We all need some spiritual therapy to live better. Receive daily spiritual nuggests only on Hinduism Online Group Therapy on the Telegram app. Preview and join now. Click the button below. It's free.