Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation), Last week I spoke briefly about some important concepts among many others concerning “YOGA” from this monumental work, ‘The YOGA SŪTRAS of Patañjali’ which is Translated from the Sanskrit by Edwin F Bryant (WITH INSIGHTS FROM TRADITIONAL COMMENTATORS)
Edwin F. Bryantreceived his Ph.D. in Indology from Columbia University. He has taught at Columbia University and Harvard University and since 2001 has been professor of Hindu religion and philosophy at Rutgers University.
I briefly spoke about what ‘Sũtras’ mean etymologically and what concepts like ‘sattva’ & ‘Citta’ encapsulate in themselves and what do we mean by ‘Vŗttis’. In this episode I will briefly mention yet another important concept ‘nirodha’.
The soul, notes Vyāsa (i.e. Ved Vyāsa) the pure and eternal power of consciousness, never changes; it does not transform when in contact with states of mind. Rather consciousness passively pervades and illuminates objects, whether in the form of gross external sense objects or subtle internal thoughts including the higher stage of discrimination. Now when the mind restrains even the ability to discriminate and exists in an inactive state where all thoughts remain only in potential form, when all thoughts have been stilled (nirodha), with no further distractions including the discrimination and even the reflection of itself in the mirror of the ‘sāttvic buddhi’ intelligence, consciousness can now abide in its own autonomous nature. This is the ultimate goal of yoga.
Thus the second sũtra states this aptly:
yogaś citta-vŗitti-nirodhah
yogah, yoga; citta, the mind; vŗitti, fluctuation, state; nirodhah, restraint, control
Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind.
We conclude here today and will be back with some more excerpts next week.
You can buy your copy from any of the bookstores near you or via any on-line portal selling books or also by clicking the following link:
The YOGA SŪTRAS of Patañjali (Excerpt III) – Translated from the Sanskrit by Edwin F Bryant
(WITH INSIGHTS FROM TRADITIONAL COMMENTATORS)
Before we close today;
Let us remember: Our life experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to. Attention: is important and most of the times we are so indifferent to it. It is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. We feed the hunger blindly. Once the mechanism is brought to our attention and we begin to study it, it is as if a veil has been stripped off ordinary life, and we become freer in our action and choices.
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