Raja yoga as yoga system of Patanjali

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Patañjali statue (traditional form indicating Kundalini or incarnation of Shesha)

Raja yoga is a modern retronym introduced by Swami Vivekananda when he equated raja yoga with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. After its circulation in the first half of 1st millennium CE, many Indian scholars reviewed it, then published their Bhāṣya (notes and commentary) on it, which together form a canon of texts called the Pātañjalayogaśāstra ("The Treatise on Yoga of Patañjali").

According to Axel Michaels, the Yoga Sutras are built upon fragments of texts and traditions from ancient India. According to Feuerstein, the Yoga Sutras are a condensation of two different traditions, namely "eight limb yoga" (ashtanga yoga) and action yoga (kriya yoga). The kriya yoga part is contained in chapter 1, chapter 2 verse 1-27, chapter 3 except verse 54, and chapter 4. The "eight limb yoga" is described in chapter 2 verse 28-55, and chapter 3 verse 3 and 54.

There are numerous parallels in the concepts in ancient Samkhya, Yoga and Abhidharma schools of thought, particularly from 2nd century BCE to 1st century AD, notes Larson. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras may be a synthesis of these three traditions. From Samkhya school of Hinduism, Yoga Sutras adopt the "reflective discernment" (adhyavasaya) of prakrti and purusa ( dualism), its metaphysical rationalism, as well its three epistemicmethods to gaining reliable knowledge. From Abhidharma Buddhism's idea of nirodhasamadhi, suggests Larson, Yoga Sutras adopt the pursuit of altered state of awareness, but unlike Buddhism which believes that there is neither self nor soul, Yoga is physicalist and realist like Samkhya in believing that each individual has a self and soul. The third concept Yoga Sutras synthesize into its philosophy is the ancient ascetic traditions of isolation, meditation and introspection, as well as the yoga ideas from the 1st millennium BCE Indian texts such as Katha Upanishad, Shvetashvatara Upanishad and Maitri Upanishad.

Yoga Summary

Introduction: All religions ask for proof of God.Hinduism offers an experiment to validate God in a personal first hand manner. Experiment called Raja Yoga first formulated by Patanjali In Yoga Sutra.

•          Yoga from yuj- meaning joining. Joining with God or with our real self as spirit rather than body and mind

•          This is not Hatha-Yoga – which is a preliminary requirement for healthy body to proceed to Raj Yoga Other Yogas

•          Bhakti – path of devotion, build up relation with personal God, worship him. Discard dross of worldly desires to allow natural love of God to show up. Para-bhakti, asking for God alone.

•          Karma – Action better than inaction BG and Selfless Action is way of overcoming the ego and by seeingGod in everyone experiencing God in all living things

•          Jnana marg, using Vivek (discrimination between temporary and permanent Goals as suggested inKathopanisahd ) and Vairagya (dispassion for temporary objectives) seeing God with open eyes.

Theory of Raja Yoga:

1.        Samkhya Darshan (purush and prakriti) Matter and Spirit mixed up need to separate

2.       Manukya Upanishad Achieve state of Supercoonsciousness (Turiya)

3.       Patanjali says this is subduing the mind modifications so that the Self can recognise its true being as

spirit (P.Y. verse4) Practice of Raja Yoga by Patanajali Yoga Sutra

1.        Verse 2. Chitta Vriti Nirodha – stop the mind from modifying is the requirement

2.       Verse 3. When mind stops modifying the individual experiences his true nature as spirit.

3.       Verse 4 Until that happens one keeps identifying oneself with the modification of the mind

The practise has eight limbs (astanga) they are

Yama – Disciplines like truthfulness a(satya) nd celibacy (brahmacharya)

Niyama – Observances in daily life like ; Contentment (Santosh) , austerity (Tap )

Asana Pranayam etc. Finally

Dhyana – One pointed concentration on any form or word which results in mind coming under control

Samadhi – becoming ‘free from modification’ or one with your true nature ‘Self’

1.        Experience: All religion fight over proof of God here is an experiment to once and for all sort this out.

Authority of religion: All prophets of all religions talk with authority – the source of this authority is knowingly or

unknowingly mastering rajayoga and experiencing spirit rather than just believing in it

1.        Vibhutipad in Yoga Sutra talks about obtaining supernatural powers called Siddhis which can become a

distraction

2.       Doubt and ill health can be obstruction

3.       Which Yoga is suitable? Can cause confusion, which is the best one? But then the people who succeed in

one yoga seem to get honorary title in all other yoga

Practice of Raj Yoga at worse produces a disciplined life style at best it makes one a prophet of mankind