“Yoga” When you hear this word, the first things that typically come to mind are asanas, meditation, wellness, and India. Yoga is thought of as one of the most efficient fitness regimens in general. This essay will present the entire image of yoga clearly and understandably.
To comprehend yoga, we first will understand the person who gave yoga its meaning.
Story of Patanjali
Yoga Meaning
Kundalini Yoga
Patanjali
Let us understand the story of Patanjali as per Shiva Mahapuran and a couple of other scriptures.
One day, Lord Shiva appeared as Nataraja and was engaged in a unique form of cosmic dance known as Ajapatandava while in a profound state of bliss. While this happens, Bhagavan Shri Maha Vishnu enters a deep meditation and witnesses Shiva’s cosmic dance. Aadi Sesha, Shri Mahavishnu’s vahanum, asks him if he would also like to see Nataraja’s joyful dance out of keen interest in this unfolding scenario. At that point, Bhagavan Shri Maha Vishnu directs Aadi Sesha to travel to Chidambaram, which is home to Mahadev in the guise of Nataraja and where you can witness Shiva Tandav, a celestial event. Shri Maha Vishnu instructs Aadi Sesha to travel to Chidambaram and serve Nataraja.
One day, Gonika, a woman, was praying to Surya Bhagwan for her dream of becoming a mother. As she held her hands in the praying position known as Anjali, with both palms facing the sky, a tiny baby snake fell into her hands. That baby snake was none other than Adi Seisha. Sanskrit described his descent from the sky into her hands as Patan. Her folded hands are referred to as Anjali. Patan plus Anjali, or Patanjali, acquired his name as he dropped into the palms of the heavens, and he became the form of a snake-human hybrid.
Therefore, Patanjali served Nataraja in Chidambaram, present-day Tamil Nadu, where Mahadev was worshipped as Nataraja after taking on that incarnation of Adi Seisha as Patanjali. Since the beginning, Naga worship has played a significant role in Indian culture. Even today, people still hold Patanjali in great regard and adore him for his role as an Adi Seisha. Whenever Mahadev is depicted as Nataraja, he is accompanied by two attendants: Vyagrapada, a humanoid half-tiger and half-man, and Patanjali. If one wants to understand Patanjali truly, one needs to know that he is mainly associated with Tamil culture in India. Tamil culture is one of the best and has a vibrant history and tradition. There are 18 Siddhas or Yogis related to Tamil culture, and Patanjali is one of them.
Let’s now get to the point of why Patanjali is being discussed. He is the author of three extraordinarily full texts that have benefited humanity in its most crucial spheres.
Let’s now examine what they are.
Firstly, there is Ayurveda. One of the earliest texts on Ayurveda concerning health and medicine was written by Patanjali and is known as the Patanjali Tantra. This text, ascribed to Sushruta Samhita, focuses on various therapies for the many illnesses that people may experience. It is one of Ayurveda’s oldest sources.
The second one is Mahabhasya. Patanjali gave a detailed commentary on Panini’s Ashtadhay.
The third, last, and most significant reason we are talking about Patanjali is that he is the author of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, which serve as the foundation for yoga. What we currently know was revealed by Patanjali. Yoga is much more than just stretching your hands and legs on a mat; it has a much deeper historical background than most individuals who do it now. In this article, we’ll see more precisely how Patanjali is responsible for that.
Moving further and summarising the three, Patanjali provided the Patanjali Tantra for physical health, Ayurveda, the Yoga Sutras for spiritual health, and the Mahabhashem for social health, or improved language and grammar in communication. Patanjali stands out among the many texts offered by Rishis or Yogis and in Indian scriptures for one distinct reason. He addressed the three areas of life that are most crucial for everyone: physical, mental, and social health. A higher quality of life is a result of all three. If you quickly reflect, you will see that the origin of yoga was a discussion between Mahadev and Bhagavan Shri Maha Vishnu. The three scriptures on Yoga, Ayurveda, and Mahabhasya that Patanjali provided were finally passed down to his pupil Adi Shankaracharya. Patanjali learned it from both Vishnu and Shiva.
Adi Shankaracharya established four peethas—Dvaraka, Badari, Sringeri, and Puri—where his heritage is still carried on, and Patanjali is in his guru’s lineage. The knowledge that Bhagavan Shri Maha Vishnu and Bhagavan Shiva transmitted to Patanjali was shared by Patanjali to Adi Shankaracharya and was shared by Adi Shankaracharya to four pitas operating the magnificent legacy of Patanjali across India.
Yoga
Let’s now examine what yoga is in plain terms.
While numerous scriptures describe what yoga is. The Bhagavad-Gita contains the most straightforward explanation of yoga, which everyone can comprehend. Lord Krishna uses these words to explain them to Arjuna. Yoga is a state of mind that corresponds to being steadfast in the performance of your duty and treating both success and failure equally, sounds easy, but in reality is incredibly difficult to put into practice. Although it’s easier said than done, yoga teaches us to be indifferent to success and failure. Yoga is described by Patanjali as Chittavruktini Rodha, which may appear straightforward but has a profound meaning. Chitta is restrained from any changes by the practice of yoga. The word Chitta can be roughly translated as “mind,” but it refers to a state of consciousness.
Let’s move on to the human anatomy. As we all know, the brain is divided into four rather than five main components. The frontal lobe, which consists of four lobes and one cerebellum, is responsible for personality traits, decision-making, movement, and actions. On the other hand, the parietal lobe is more concerned with object identification and the interpretation of physical pain. These are the functions of this area of the brain. The occipital lobe controls vision and colour perception about your ability to recognize the colours. All those are stored in this part of the brain, and the fourth one is the temporal lobe which is mostly the reservoir for short-term memory, hearing speech perception of, musical rhythm, etc. The fifth part is the cerebellum, which coordinates voluntary muscle movements to maintain the posture balance of the body, etc.
This is the structure of the human brain as we currently understand it, and depending on your mental state, various brain regions are activated, and actions are guided appropriately. Now, the anatomy is organized differently if we attempt to comprehend the identical human brain following Yoga Siddhanta.
The physical classification of the tangible components of the brain is done by classifying the lobes on the left, which we just saw as having various functions. At the same time, the human brain is divided into four levels of consciousness—or, to put it simply, four separate states of mind—in Yoga Siddhanta. Thus, how the brain functions depend on one’s mental state. Manas is the first level, Ahamkaram is the second level, Buddhi is the third level, and Chitta is the fourth level. These are the four possible oscillation levels for a human brain, and to put it mildly, you shouldn’t compare them because they serve entirely distinct purposes. While Yoga Siddhantam takes a holistic approach to understanding how your brain might function in various states of mind, the scientific classification is more focused on studying the physical characteristics of a brain. So, rather than competing, they are enhancing one another. According to the yoga sit-down, understanding these four levels of the brain is very significant.
Let’s take a quick look at them, beginning with Manas.
- Manas is a mental state in which the sensory sense of pleasure and pain dominates, and in whatever decision you make, this form of happiness will determine whether you want to choose it or not. The decision to do or not to do something is based on the pleasure or pain you would experience from doing it; this mental state is referred to as Manas.
- Ahamkara is the second. It is an egotistical way of thinking when making decisions. If I decide with a self-centred mindset, which is equivalent to thinking only about myself, then I am in the mental state known as the Ahamkaram.
- The third one is Buddhi. The ability to distinguish between what is good and what is not and then make a decision is known as the third state of mind or Buddhi. Buddhi is the name given to the mental state.
- The ultimate degree of consciousness, or your state of mind, is known as Chitta. At this level, there is no distinction between pleasure and suffering, and, to be quite honest, it can be challenging to describe. It is the highest level of consciousness, or more simply put, the most stable state of mind, where you will not be influenced by anything at all, where you are entirely in control of your thoughts, emotions, and feelings, and where you will not be distracted by anything else. This rock-steady mental state is known as Chitta, and if we reflect on Patanjali’s definition, what he is saying is restraining Chitta from any kind of fluctuations that I might experience.
By practising Yoga, you can transform your mental state from Manas to Chitta. There is no distinction between God and Man if one realizes the Chitta condition of thought. When a person is in the Manas state of mind, they are referred to as Pashu, and their trip through the four levels of the brain, ending at the highest level, is referred to as the voyage to Pashupati.
Yoga has a more mystical connotation in which Pashu becomes Pashupati. In Hinduism, it is said that you are responsible for your life, whether it is good or bad. Pashu refers to anyone who is in the state of mind of Manas, and Pashupati is in the form sense of Chitta. This is also why there is a saying, “Aham Brahmasmi,” which means, “I am the god.” This is a more mystical definition, but it is the truth.
The eight-step procedure Patanjali describes for achieving the highest level of Chitta consists of the Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. These eight are known as Astanga Yoga and are regarded as the eight limbs of Yoga or the eight steps leading to the highest level of human consciousness.
Let’s quickly review each of Yoga’s eight limbs.
- The first is Yama, a five-fold discipline that includes being non-violent, truthful, not stealing, energy-efficient, and not greedy. One must adhere strictly to this as the first yoga asana. Observe these five suggestions.
- The next step is Niyama, which means to have internal discipline. It consists of five components: devotion, contentment, self-study, spiritual observance, and physical purity. The second stage of Ashtanga Yoga, known as Niyama, requires the development of these five key characteristics.
- The next phase is Asana, a posture you can hold comfortably while maintaining intense concentration. The most well-known step worldwide is the yoga asanas, a branch of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The foundation of Hatha Yoga, a unique component of Yoga that contains 84 different asanas and is practised now all over the world, is laid forth by Patanjali in terms of how an asana should be performed. The primary goal of an asana is to allow you to sit comfortably for an extended period while you focus intently on the subject of your meditation.
- The fourth step of Ashtanga Yoga is Pranayama, also commonly known as managing the motion of expiration and inhalation flows. It’s crucial to note that, despite sounding like a straightforward chore, pranayama is a challenging process.
- Pratyahara, the fifth step of Ashtanga yoga, consciously withholds the senses’ capacities. From this point on, Yoga takes on a metaphysical bent.
- Dharana’s sixth phase involves maintaining your attention on a specific item. It can be a being, an object, a god’s image, or anything else you want to concentrate and meditate on. Keep in mind that selecting the correct entity is also very important. Consider the possibility that, as a Shiva devotee, I might be focusing my meditation on a Shiva Lingam.
- The seventh step is a state of meditation known as Dhyana. Dhyana is the unbroken flow of knowledge from that meditation object. At this point, the person meditating will think only about the thing they are focusing on. For example, if I am focusing on a Shiva Lingam, I will only think about that. This state is known as Dhyana, and it is potent because it serves as the basis for Buddhism, which eventually developed from Hinduism and is known as Zen. As it moved eastward, Dhyana evolved into Zen.
- Samadhi, the eighth stage of Ashtanga yoga, is an ultimate thoughtless state of consciousness. At this point, a person will become aware of Chitta, the highest mental state. It is challenging to describe the stage orally, but it is believed that at this point, one can realize that Aham Bramhasmi, I am the god.
An investigation into the voluntary control of the heart with Yoga was started in India in 1961 by a French cardiologist. Several tests were performed on four to five highly skilled yoga masters who could stop their hearts and voluntarily stop their hearts to almost a steady state while in a deep form of Yoga. Shri Krishnamacharya was a well-regarded yoga guru who lived a lifetime of Yoga practice. Shri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and four other yoga masters were the subjects of the study to see if they could stop their hearts.
However, when Shri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya entered the highest form of mind, Chitta, with a vigorous pranayama practice, even the body’s involuntary functions could be controlled. However, Yoga has many more benefits than that; we have just begun to explore its entire range. This scientific report describes how ancient yogis in India could control their bodies, including involuntary functions. This is the power of pranayama, and according to Hatha Yoga, when pranayama is performed correctly, it can treat a variety of physical ailments, while when it is performed incorrectly, it can cause a whole host of new conditions. For this reason, Yoga should always be practised under the guidance of a guru.
Now, the Ashtanga Yoga that we just observed—the eight steps leading from Pashu to Pashupathi via the four levels of mind might sound a little abstract or challenging to follow, but that is how it is. It takes a lifetime of practice, and at the highest state, just like the way we saw the human body respond, in a completely different way that is beyond the comprehension of contemporary science.
Kundalini Yoga
Let’s move on to the third and last chapter of the book, Kundalini Yoga.
We want to clarify what exactly Kundalini Yoga is. As I just mentioned, Yoga is a man or woman’s journey from the state of Pashu to the state of Pashupati, which is called Yoga. There are many different types of Yoga, and there are also many kinds of commercialization misconceptions and misunderstandings entangled with Kundalini Yoga, particularly the chakras. In addition to kundalini yoga, there is bhakti yoga, karma yoga, and sandhya yoga. As one of the most vital forms of Yoga, Kundalini is also one of the riskiest ways to achieve the Chitta state of mind.
Let’s now look at the human anatomy once more. As we all know, the brain controls every aspect of the human body, including the neurological, muscular, and skeletal systems. As this is healthy knowledge, the brain controls all three of these systems in the operational hierarchy. According to Yoga Siddhanta, there are four states of mind rather than physical classification in the anatomy. Similar to how the human body is divided into Nadi according to Yoga Siddhanta. A Nadi is an energy path that extends directly from the brain to where an internet action is carried out. A Nadi is a transversal energy flow that passes through the brain and neurological, muscular, and skeletal systems.
Take lifting the little finger of your right hand as an example. When you heard my words, your brain recognized that I was asking you to do so and recognized the right hand and the little finger. It then sends a signal from your brain to the little finger you want to lift, which is how the action is carried out. Because of a call from the brain to lift a finger, this process proceeds through your nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. According to human anatomy, this entire flow of energy from your brain until the little finger on your right hand could be referred to as one Nadi.
Thus, according to Yoga Siddhantam, rather than dividing each part of the human body separately, the entire body is divided into 72,000 of these energy channels called Nadis. It does not include a comparison of human anatomy. Nadis are a logical classification of how energy goes directly from your brain to other body regions despite not being physically evident.
Kundalini Yoga concentrates your body’s energy and pumps it up toward your brain to achieve the Chitta state of mind. To accomplish the Chitta state of mind, your brain needs to be pumped with a lot of energy. This process of doing so is what is known as Kundalini Yoga.
There are other types of Yoga, such as Hatha Yoga, which uses specific asanas that anybody may theoretically grasp. One of the most reliable sources for information about kundalini yoga is Swami Vivekananda, who wrote the book Raja Yoga in the 1800s. This book presents the anatomy of the human body and how kundalini yoga functions in great length and subtlety.
And this is what Swami Vivekananda said about the anatomy of kundalini yoga in his book Raja Yoga. The Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna nadis, or energy pathways, are the three most significant nadis in the human body. The right column is Ida, the left column is Pingala, and the middle of the mid-channel that goes straight across the spinal cord is Sushumnandi, according to him. The cross-section of the human spine is shaped like a butterfly. Corpus energy, or reservoir of power, is concentrated and dormant at the bottom of every human body where the spinal cord meets the pelvis. This reservoir of energy is known as Kundalini and is metaphorically represented as a coiled snake. The energy present in any living thing is considered and revered, and these three major energy channels are essential for kundalini yoga.
Now let’s talk about chakras, the most popular and ambiguous term in this context. The primary energy centres along the Kundalini energy’s journey as it travels during Kundalini Yoga from the pelvis to the brain are known as chakras. Learning the basics of Kundalini yoga, much less practising and perfecting it, takes a lifetime. The ultimate state that anyone can realize once they reach the pinnacle of Kundalini Yoga is the merger of Shiva and Shakti in the human body. This is the most mystical definition of Kundalini Yoga.
Learning the basics of Kundalini yoga, much less practising and perfecting it, takes a lifetime. The ultimate state that anyone can realize once they reach the pinnacle of Kundalini Yoga is the merger of Shiva and Shakti in the human body. This is the most mystical definition of Kundalini Yoga.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Patanjali is credited with the creation of the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, one of the founding texts for Yoga, Bhagavan Shri Krishna with the Bhagavad Gita, another primordial text for Yoga, Yagna Balka Maharishi with Yoga Yagnawalkim, another primordial text for Yoga, Vasista Maharshi with Yoga System, which also discusses Yoga in great detail, and there are countless other scriptures. Yoga is about travelling, about seeking to become a Pashupati. There are various routes one can take on this journey, and these scriptures provide details on different yoga styles. If we zoom in on Astanga Yoga alone, we find eight steps, or Yama, which we have already seen. In this vast ocean of Yoga, only asanas are well-known, but Yoga is a lifelong process of discovering the answer to a straightforward question: Who am I?