Yoga Sutra Reflections Session 21: Ishwara

Integrating Ancient Wisdom in Modern Life: Four Steps With Self-Awareness

1. Patanjali has defined Supreme Consciousness as a Purusa person with special attributes – master of the body, untouched by misery, action, the results of actions, and desires.
2. When a soul has reached to the peak of all the survival evolution it takes birth as human beings. Who is born with the capacity to turn inside. To become self-realised from self-identified.
3. When Supreme Consciousness takes birth we call them incarnation. They take birth to give us insight that now you can climb up from the same ladder from where we have come down.
4. To climb up the ladder there are two ways – one is through self and another is by devotion to Supreme. Both ways we can arrive at Asamprajnata Samadhi.
5. When you choose a path of self it is by putting 100% effort and then surrendering. Surrendering is in the end. When you choose a path of Devotion you surrender in the beginning. Your journey begins with surrendering.
6. To become self-realised we need to pass through all the four steps with self-awareness to which we are identified. They are misery, action, the results of actions, and desires.
7. Misery is because of avidya, asmita, Rag, dwesh and abhinivesh. Our avidya, false knowledge has created self-identity, asmita which is illusion, maya creates attachment which lead us to grudge and with all these we have an investment in the world.
8. From the misery we give birth to desires, hopes and from these desires whatever action comes will bring despair, anguish and pain. Fruits of our action may come according to our expectation or non-expectation both will give misery. When it is according to our non-expectation we understand it is miserable. But even if it is according to our expectation then also we are miserable because then we put all our energy into maintaining our identity which has been created through our Karma and fear of losing what we have achieved. So at the end we are miserable.
9. If while passing through misery we become self-alert we can turn towards ourselves.
10. With self-alertness we can choose any path, self or surrender to arrive at Asamprajnata Samadhi. Asamprajnata Samadhi happens only by surrendering either at the end or in the beginning. Depends which path you have chosen.
11. If a child has been given education for livelihood and education for life. Then he will be self dependent.

Tags: Patanjali Yoga Sutra