Tapah_Svãdhyãya_Ishvara_Prãnidhãnãni Kriyãyogah

Austerity, study and to God dedicationIs Yoga in action. ||2.01||

Tapah: Austerity/ refinement , accepting pain as purification Svãdhyãya: Self study/ reflection , asceticism Ishvara: God, Supreme Being Prãnidhãnãni: dedication to God / resignation, surrendering all actions to God. Kriyãyogah: yoga practice

2.01 Q: What are the preliminaries to Yoga?A: The preliminaries to Yoga practice are: 1.Austerity - Reflection 2. Study of

scriptures - Refinement 3. Dedication of actions to God, Resignation

Preliminaries to Yoga Practice

Kriya Yoga

Yoga Practice

'tapas'Austerity

'Swadyaya'Study /

Reflection

'Iswara pranidhani'Dedication

'Self control‘ conservation of vital energy, Process of removal

of impurities

Placing oneself closer to the ONE SELF Study of scriptures Repetition

of mantra

Dedication of all actions to God Letting ego go! Resignation is

opening up to Let God enter you!

AbhyasaPractice

Tapas AusteritiesRefinement

SvadhyayaSelf-studyReflection

Iswara Pranidhana Dedication

to God Resignation

ThroughConcentration

MeditationAbsorption

VairaghyaDetachment

Detachmentfrom

sense objects

From

Becoming

From

Becoming

Tapas (austerity): ‘tap’ literally means to ‘to cook’ or "to burn". Tap can also mean burning all desires by means of discipline, purification, and penance. fasting, and observing silence. Tapas indicates effort and Endeavour. It involves the voluntary and cheerful experiencing of a privation, with a view to attaining a higher goal. Any form of giving up desires is tapas. Tapas means the end of the activities of the senses; one must be the master of all of them. There should be no trace of craving or appetite. It involves effort to attain Brahmam, incessant yearning for that end; it must be expressed through moderate food and sleep: it means agony to realise the Principle. Such tapas is called Sattwic. Tapas does not mean senseless mortification.

An ascetic is a person who renounces material comforts and leads a life of austere self-discipline, as an act of religious devotion.

He leads a life of self-discipline and self-denial, for spiritual improvement. The ascetic practices in the past sometimes turned even bizarre with ascetics indulging in self inflicted bodily torture.

Tapas is a way of asserting one’s will and breaking the sensual nature which craves for comfort and indulgence.The objective of the ascetic practices according to Buddhism is to make Improper motive become Proper Intent, whereby1. Greed becomes generosity2. Anger becomes patience & endurance3. Stupidity becomes wisdom

Q: What is austerity? Answer: Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

“Once you have gone through an experience, Not to go through again is austerity . To eschew the unnecessary is austerity. Not to anticipate pleasure or pain is austerity. Having things under control all the time is austerity. Both indulgence and austerity have the same purpose in view – to make you happy. Indulgence is the stupid way, austerity is the wise way”.

Svadhyaya (study of self): Reflection and introspection, the study of scriptures, repetition of mantra form part of the study of self. Self-inquiry is done by reflecting deeply on the question, "Who am I?" Associating with enlightened people is also helpful in study.

Ishvarapranidhana (surrender to God): Opening one self to the cosmic flow of energy and uniting the individual mind with the universal one. Requires surrendering the ego self and beseeching the universal self to help. One who sees the Self in all beings and who has surrendered the ego of being the "doer" is the true practitioner of Ishvarapranidhana. Actions without expectation is surrender to God. The seeker insures that his actions do not result in forming tendencies

Tapasausterity

SwadyayaStudy/Reflection

Iswara pranidani

'Heating''one self up sufficiently to let The 'matter' in him be converted to energy, in the process the effluent of

Impurities being got rid of.

Understanding that one is not just a 'matter' subject to Death and decay but part of a force field of Knowledge that passes through all from the place beyond time and space, the very origin of universe through the transition zone where energy turns in to matter to the field of energy and matter perceived as the world of objects and

events

Opening oneself up to the field of knowledge to flow through by removing forces that block the flow. Understanding that resistance

to flow hurts, Not the flow but the recipient.

Samãdhi_bhavanãrthah Klesha_Tanu_Karana_Arthah Cha

Such practice removes afflictionsThat are obstacles to the state of absorption||2.02||

Samãdhi: state of absorption Bhavanã: to make it appear, to establish arthah: intent, goal Klesha: afflictions, cause of suffering Tanu: tenuous Karana: production Arthah: goal Cha: and

2.02 Q; What is the result of observation of these practices ?A; 1. Increased ability to concentrate and consequent removal of obstacles to realization

2. Reduction in impurities, physical as well as mental 3. Heightened awareness and capacity for self examination

In the Sankhva Sutras. Kabila mentions miseries (duhkhas) of three types:

AdhyatmikaWithin ourselves

AdhibhautikaOthers

AdhidaivikaNatural

phenomena

That caused within ourselves - in the body by illness and un unhealthy living, and the mind by evil desires, anger, greed, folly, pride, envy, etc:

That caused by other living beings such as beasts, thieves, and evil-minded persons.

The misery brought about by natural phenomena such as extremes of temperature, floods and storms, earthquakes, pestilences, etc. These may act as hindrances to spiritual life.

Avidyã_Asmitã_Rãga_Dvesha_Abhiniveshãh Kleshãh

Ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and desireAre the afflictions||2.03||

Avidyã: ignorance Asmitã: egoism Rãga: craving, attachment, attraction Dvesha: hatred, aversion, repulsionAbhiniveshãh: desire to cling to life, fear of death Kleshãh: afflictions

Q: What are the obstacles to realisation ?A: They are the afflictions: ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and desire

Aversion

Attachment Egoism

I GNORANCEThe SELF

The mistaken identifi cation of one with his body

leads to egoism. Egoism leads to attachment.

Attachment results in aversion

Desire

AversionAversion

AttachmentAttachment EgoismEgoism

I GNORANCEI GNORANCEThe SELF

The mistaken identifi cation of one with his body

leads to egoism. Egoism leads to attachment.

Attachment results in aversion

Desire

The afflictions

desire

aversion

Egoism

Ignorance

attachment

The afflictions

desire

aversion

Egoism

Ignorance

attachment

The afflictions

desire

aversion

Egoism

Ignorance

attachment

Ignorance(Avidya) givesrise

EgoismAsmitha

AttachmentRaga

AversionDwesha

Fear of lossAbhnivesha

AvidyaIgnorance

AsmithaEgoism

Raga / Dvesha / Attachment /

Aversion

AbhinivashaDesire

man's delusion: referred to as Ignorance, not able to understand whether he is part of the world of matter subject to death and decay or part of field of knowledge, the very source of creation of energy and matter, eternal and everlasting.

Not having enough knowledge, concluding that he is very much a part of the matter. Identifying himself with the material world and Consequently fearing decay and death.

Having identified with the field of matter getting attracted to other particles of matter to feel a sense of security of belonging to a family of matters and deriving pleasure from such a feeling or feeling pain when particles of different types of matter refuse to be drawn closer.

With attachment to field of matter predominant, refusal to part comapny with this field.fear of losing touch with the world of matter, fear of facing the subtle matter, having accustomed to the gross.

Improper Intent (Motive)

Afflictions (Klesa) are usually listed as the following ten:

Greed, Sensual desire

Anger Ignorance Conceit, Pride Doubt Lack of belief in cause & effect Clinging to views Belief in the ego, egocentrism Belief in extremes, seeing things only in terms of the two extremes Belief that rituals or asceticism will somehow lead to salvation or enlightenment

Avidyã_Kshetram_Uttareshãm Prasupta_Tanu_Vicchinna_Udarãnãm

Ignorance, for other obstacles the source Dormant, visible, intercepted or exposed ||2.04||

Avidyã: Ignorance Kshetram: source, root cause, fieldUttareshãm : of the remaining, following next Prasupta: latent, asleep, dormant Tanu: obscure , feeble Vicchinna: interrupted, brokenUdarãnãm: pronounced, active, sustained

2.04 Q: What are the obstacles to realisation ?A: The obstacle is Ignorance, in a potential or vestigial form; dormant or developed.

Ignorance is the field on which the other afflictions (klesa) grow. They can be 1. sleeping (inactive), 2. thin (imperceptible but active), fluctuating between active and inactive or full blown.

  AsmithaEgoism

RagaAttachment

DweshaAversion

AbhinivashaDesire

LatentPrasupta

       

FeebleTanu

       

BrokenVicchinna

       

PronouncedUdhara

       

When Ignorance

Avidya Udaram

is Active / Pronounced

Actions taken

Egoism

Attachment

Aversion

Fear of loss Of life Desire to cling to life

Results in killing, insulting others, boastfully indulging in charity, vanity etc

Results in committing theft, adultery, extreme privation to achieve objective etc

Results in burning and destruction, divorce, hatred related activities etc

Results in desperate effort to save one from death, loss of religious identity results one to destroy others places of worship etc.