Essence of Yoga
There are many meanings of Yoga around. Some refer to
physical postures, some to breathing techniques and some to
mental techniques. In this lesson you will learn the meaning of
Yoga as described in the ancient Indian Yogic texts.
The word Yoga means union. Union with the God. The God is
referred by many names. Some call Him Atman, some Soul, some
Bramhan and some others Creator. Whatever you name Him the
underlying principal remains the same. In these lessons we will
call him as God because it is the most common word than
everybody understands and can relate to. Though the meaning of
word Yoga is union it also refers to all the means and processes
adopted to achieve this union. These means and processes include
many things such as meditation, pranayama, kriyas and many
others. If you see the underlying principal of any of these
techniques you will realize that they all finally aim at
controlling the mind and consciousness. Be it Hatha Yoga,
Kundalini Yoga, Bhakti Yoga or Raja Yoga all aim at Samadhi,
the state of union. Thus Yoga means restraining fluctuations or
patterns of your mind.
Here we are presenting teachings that were told by Lord Shiva to his consort
Parvati. These verses are the essence of the entire Yoga and
Vedanta literature. It hints at the central theme of all Yogic disciplines and a
means to attaining it.
शिव उवाच -
देहो देवालयो देवी जीवो देव: सदाशिव: ।
त्यजेद्ज्ञान निर्माल्यं सोहं भावेन पुजयेत ॥
जीवो शिव: शिवो जीव: सजीव: केवल शिव: ।
पाशबद्धो स्मृतो जीवा पाशमुक्तो सदाशिव: ॥
Lord Shiva said -
O Devi! This body is a temple. Jiva living within is Shiva himself. Renounce the
debris of ignorance and worship Him with the attitude of 'I am That'. Jiva is
Shiva and Shiva is Jiva. The one trapped in bondage is Jiva and the one free
from it is Shiva.
A practitioner who has this message rooted firmly in his heart need not study
any other scriptures. The above message is an excellent combination of four
paths viz. Karma, Bhakti, Yoga and Dnyana. We are giving a further explanation of
the above verses for the benefit of the readers.
देहो देवालयो देवी जीवो देव: सदाशिव: ।
Once upon a time God thought, "Let me manifest as many". He then took the
form of Purusha and Prakrati. Through them He gave birth to this universe. If
the whole universe is the manifestation of God, it is obvious that the life in
every living being belongs to Him. Thus Jiva and Shiva are one and the same. The Jiva lives in a temple we call as body. The
body is aptly called as temple to indicate purity and holiness. A practitioner
should strive to keep his mind-body pure and sacred. At the same time he should
from providing undue luxuries to the mind-body equipment. Does a temple ever has
luxuries? Similarly, a practitioner should tune his mind and body for the
purpose of spiritual progress.
त्यजेद्ज्ञान निर्माल्यं सोहं भावेन पुजयेत ॥
If Jiva is identical with the Shiva, why it cannot
experience this unity? Because under the influence of Prakrati, the individual
soul forgets his real identity. The way a rope is mistaken as snake, the
individual soul thinks that 'I means my body'. He forgets his Shiva nature. If
he is to regain his true identity, this false identification with body must be
renounced. The individual soul should understand and experience that Jiva and
Shiva are one and the same. To work towards this goal alone can be considered as
the real worship of God.
जीवो शिव: शिवो जीव: सजीव: केवल शिव: ।
A Jiva was never separate from Shiva. The life blossoming in every living
being is but Shiva Chaitanya. A mirror covered with dust doesn't show images
clearly. But does that mean that mirror doesn't exist. Certainly not. The same
holds true for Jiva. Even though Jiva has forgotten his Shiva nature, he was
always Shiva. There is no doubt about this.
पाशबद्धो स्मृतो जीवा पाशमुक्तो सदाशिव: ॥
The Prakrati binds Jiva with bonds that make Jiva forget his Shiva
nature. The bonds of Prakrati are - Lust, Anger, Greed, Delusion, Pride and Envy. As long as a Jiva is trapped in these bonds he cannot
revel his Shiva nature. Once freed from from these bonds Jiva is undoubtedly
Shiva. How can these bonds be destroyed? By worshiping the Lord with 'I am That'
attitude. This worship doesn't require any gross items such as fruits, lamp and
essence. Such worship can be performed only by the practice of meditation.