Raja
Yoga is the king of Yogas. It concerns
directly with the mind. In this Yoga
there is no struggling with Prana or
physical body. There are no Hatha Yogic
Kriyas. The Yogi seats at ease, watches
his mind and silences the bubbling
thoughts. He stills the mind, restraints
the thought-waves and enters into the
thoughtless state or Asamprajnata
Samadhi, Hence the name Raja Yoga.
Though Raja Yoga is a dualistic
philosophy and treats of Prakriti and
Purusha, it helps the student in
Advaitic Realization of oneness
eventually. Though there is the mention
of Purusha, ultimately the Purusha
becomes identical with Highest Self or
Purusha, or Brahman of Upanishads. Raja
Yoga pushes the student to the highest
rung of the spiritual ladder of Advaitic
realization of Brahman.
Patanjali's
Yoga system is written in Sutras. A
'Sutra' is a terse verse. It is an
aphoristic saying. It is pregnant with
deep, hidden significance. Rishis of
yore have expressed philosophical ideas
and their realization in the form of
Sutras only. It is very difficult to
understand the meaning of the Sutras
without the help of a commentary, a
gloss or a teacher who is well-versed in
Yoga. A Yogi with full realization can
explain the Sutras beautifully.
Literally,
Sutra means a thread. Just as various
kinds of flowers with different colours
are nicely arranged in a string, to make
a garland, just as rows of pearls are
beautifully arranged in a string to form
a necklace, so also Yogic ideas are
well-arranged in Sutras. They are
arranged into Chapters.
The
First Chapter is Samadhi-pada. It deals
with different kinds of Samadhi. It
contains 51 Sutras. Obstacles in
meditation, five kinds of Vritti and
their control, three kinds of Vairagya,
nature of Ishvara, various methods to
enter into Samadhi and the way to
acquire peace of mind by developing
virtues are described here.
The
Second Chapter is Sadhana-pada. It
contains 55 Sutras. It treats of Kriya
Yoga, viz., Tapas, study and
self-surrender to God, the five Kleshas
or afflictions, the methods to destroy
these afflictions which stand in the way
of getting Samadhi, Yama and Niyama and
their fruits, practice of Asana and its
benefits, Pratyahara and its advantage,
etc.
The
Third Chapter is Vibhuti-pada. It
contains 56 Sutras. It treats of Dharana,
Dhyana and various kinds of Samyama on
external objects, mind, internal Chakras
and on several objects, to acquire
various Siddhis.
The
Fourth Chapter is Kaivalya-pada or
Independence. It contains 34 Sutras. It
treats of the independence of a
full-blown Yogi who has perfect
discrimination between Prakriti and
Purusha, and who has separated himself
from the three Guna. It also deals with
mind and its nature. Dharmamegha Samadhi
also is described here.
Swami Veet Chintan T'Zorba-Krsna
Jyotish
Shastracharya
& Vedic Astrologer of India
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