Integrating Ancient Wisdom in Modern Life: Gyanendriya and Karmendriya
- Our five senses influence and intoxicate us in our routine lives and make us unconscious of the present moment. The one who becomes unconscious after being intoxicated by senses is called Indra. One who becomes self-aware and controls the influence and intoxication of the senses is called Jitendriya.
- Gyanendriya and Karmendriya are two types of senses, which create our life by coordinating with each other. Gyanendriya, through the senses’ organs, gets knowledge of the surroundings and the knowledge gets converted into sensations. Mind receives sensations and reconciles with Memories, Self-image and Intelligence. After reconciliation the mind ceases to be with perceptions. With the perception, the mind will respond to the surroundings through the senses’ organs of Karmendriya.
- Pratyahara is the state of the individualised mind where the movement of memory and the movement of the senses has discontinued. So the mind is inwardly and outwardly surrounded by space.
- Pratyahara is derived from two Sanskrit roots; Prati meaning “against” or “withdraw”, and ahara meaning “food” or referring to anything we take in from the outside. As such, pratyahara can be understood as gaining control over or withdrawing from any external influences. According to yoga philosophy, there are three levels of ahara; physical food, impressions from the five senses and associations with others. Traditionally, the practice of pratyahara is centred around withdrawal from any ahara which is not nourishing for the body, mind or spirit.
- Another meaning of Prati means to reverse the direction of food from all the three ahara. The directions are outward because of survival and reproduction. Until the evolution of animals it was essential. With evolution of human beings with survival and reproduction we have brought the seed of evolution to grow in consciousness. But here individuals need to work on themselves. The work of Prikriti is over to evolve you. Now it’s the individual’s responsibility to grow that seed. With the practise of Pratyahara yoga changes the direction inwards to grow in consciousness.
- Pratyahara is not about condemning senses. But it is governing senses. The alive man is sensuous. It means all his senses are functioning at the very peak. Pratyahara governs the senses so that one becomes sensuous. With Sensuousness one can feel one’s own consciousness. Your senses now join you to feel and experience self-consciousness. Which is one of the greatest blessings to humanity.
