The subject of today’s discourse is “The Spirit of Yoga”.

What is yoga? There are so many interpretations and so many explanations and amplifications regarding yoga. The great philosopher Patanjali says, “Yogashcittavrttinirodhah.” Nirodha means suspension of all psychic propensities. The word yoga comes from the sanskrit root verb yuj + ghaiṋ suffix. Where the root verb is yuj, here yoga means addition, two + two = four, this is addition. This interpretation has nothing to do with the meaning of the word yoga. The human mind has got fifty propensities under normal conditions, and each and every propensity has got its own vibrational existence. Due to those fifty vibrational existences, or expressions there are fifty letters in the vedic alphabetical order. From “A” the first letter to “Kśa” the last letter there are fifty letters and they are known as Akśa Málá (the garland of fifty letters), because each and every vibrational expression has got not only its acoustic value, but it has also got a special colour. That is why these fifty letters are not only known as Akśa Málá, they are also known as Varńa Málá, i.e. they are the collection of Varńas or colours. In the case of the suspension of certain propensities, there remains no acoustic expression, and there is no expression of colour or any other inference.

The root meaning of yoga is not only addition but it has got a subtler meaning as well. When the word yoga is derived from the root verb “yunj” + “ghaiṋ”, (not “yuj” but “yunj”), in that case the meaning is not addition but unification. Here we see that as per interpretation of “Yogashcittavrttinirodhah” there is neither addition nor unification. Cittavrttinirodhá means suspension of mental propensities i.e. fifty propensities under normal condition and one thousand propensities under abnormal condition. If all those propensities are suspended, what remains there? There remains no universe of acoustics, no universe of colours nor any other universe. And not only that, due to the absence of propensities, the desire, the longing to become one with something also vanishes. So this meaning is not acceptable to us. “Yogashcittavrttinirodhah” is a defective explanation or interpretation of “yoga”. A spiritual aspirant cannot accept such an interpretation.

Now some of the other yogiis say that yoga is not “Cittavrttinirodhah” but it is “Sarvacintáparityágo nishcinto yoga ucyate” i.e. where there is no thought wave (cintá) i.e. where there is no flow in the mind, the mind becomes movementless, it remains in a state of composure, that is, a state of “nishcinta”. Here also the word yoga has got nothing to do with addition or unification. Sarvacintá Parityágo nishcinto is not the real wont of mind. In this expressed or manifested universe, everything moves. The mind also moves. The mind depends on three fundamental factors, i.e., time, space, and person. So movement is its first wont.

Then how can we check its flow? Even in the expressed form of Parama Puruśa, there is movement, there is the flow of love and compassion. So when there is flow of love and compassion even in the mind of Parama Puruśa, how can there be a flowless mind in the microcosm. So this idea is defective. Due to one’s disease or senselessness, there may be thoughtlessness for a short period but that is not something natural. It is a sort of diseased state. While there is disease, while you are in disease, your mind is not associated with any internal projection. Is it yoga? Certainly not. It is said that because of this cosmic flow of love and compassion for entire creation, Parama Puruśa is Rasa personified i.e. flow personified, the eternal flow personified… “Rasah Vae Sah”. That is why it is said that His movement of love and compassion for all created beings is the Rása liilá, the Rasaságara, and every living entity, every animate and inanimate entity is dancing according to the flow of that “Rasa”, according to the vibrational expression of that Rasa. This is the Rásaliilá of Bhagaván. Then how can there be “Nishcintá” in the human mind? So this explanation of yoga by the other yogiis is also fundamentally defective. A spiritual aspirant cannot accept it. Now let us see what is the explanation of yoga by the spiritual aspirants or Bhaktas.

As per the definition by the bhaktas, “yoga” means “Saḿyoga yoga Ityuktah Jiivátmá Paramátmanah.” The unification of Jiivátmá i.e. unit consciousness with Paramátmá i.e. Parama Puruśa is yoga. Here if we take the meaning of yoga as derived from the verb yuj i.e. addition, the purpose is served. The unit becomes one with the Cosmic. And if the meaning of Yunj is accepted, the explanation is still more correct because when the aspirant becomes one with the Supreme Entity, there remains no separate identity of the unit with the Supreme Entity. One is fully unified just like sugar and water making Sharbat.

So the explanation of yoga by devotees or bhakti margiis is [[acceptable]]. The explanations by the “Seshvara Sáḿkhya” or by the other yogiis are defective. When yoga means addition or unification there must be two entities – the devotee and His Lord. In the first two explanations there remains not even a single entity. So the unification of whom, by whom, with whom, there is no clear explanation, no clear implication. Now we come to the conclusion that for proper interpretation of yoga, two fundamental entities are necessary; the devotee and his/her Lord. A yogi can never remain without his or her Lord. The psychic propensities of a yogii must not be suspended. Rather all the propensities must be goaded unto the Lord. So there is no question of suspension but there is the question of diversion. The flow must be there and we should enjoy the divine flow or Rasa. A yogii can never be nástika, he must be ástika. A nástika cannot be a yogii; simply practising a few “Ásanas” won’t make a person a yogii. Yoga means all the propensities moving towards the Supreme entity in the physical stratum, in the mental stratum and in the spiritual stratum. In all the strata the only goal of life, the only culminating point of all the marches is the Supreme Entity. When He becomes “I” and “I” becomes He, then the spirit of yoga is completely established. The desideratum, the terminating point for yogiis is their “Ista” and they move towards their Iśt́a along the path of Dharma.

What is Dharma? “Dhriyate Dharma ityukto sa eva paramah prabhuh.” The supreme controlling qualification that an entity must possess is Dharma. Dharma controls all the expressions of human life, all the expressions of the entitative waves. And for the proper movement of the entitative flows or entitative expressions, there must be a parallel wave of incantative expression. The existential movement must get its stamina from the incantative existence. And there cannot be any incantative stamina or incantative existence if there is no goal, no intro-psychic goal i.e., if there is no “Ista”. Iśt́a means the object who loves you the most. Because of this Iśt́a there is flow in your incantative form or incantative structure. Only under such circumstances can your existential emanation maintain a parallelism with your entitative structure. So, Iśt́a is a must for movement, Iśt́a is a must for all sorts of living beings in all strata of life. You can not do anything concrete in even a single arena of your life without the help of your Iśt́a. So wherever there is Dharma, there must be Iśt́a. And Iśt́a is the primordial necessity for yoga. Nobody can exist without Iśt́a. The aspirant is a finite entity, but the Iśt́a of that aspirant is an infinite entity. If you practice yoga, then your finite existence will come in contact with that infinite Iśt́a and you will acquire infinity, you will acquire the infinite spiritual stamina and you will become victorious in all the arenas of your existence. So the wise people, the true yogiis should realize it clearly and definitely that their entitative existence along with the entitative force of their Iśt́a, moves towards the Supreme goal. The yogii should know the single name of his or her Iśt́a and not two names or three names. Wherever the Iśt́a is singular entity in name, form, and idea, in ideation and also in ideology, success is sure, success is fully assured. There is a story in this regard. Once upon a time some of the devotees asked Hanuman, “Hanuman, you are a great devotee and learned scholar also, and you know that Náráyańa means Shriinátha, (Shrii means, Lakśmii) Shriinátha means Náráyańa. Shriinátha, i.e. Lakśmiinátha, Náráyańa and Jánakiinátha i.e. Ráma are the same entity; but you never take the name of Náráyańa. Why?”

Hanuman said:

“Shriináthe, Jánakiinathe Cábhedah Paramátmani
Tathápi mama Sarvasvah Rámah Kamalalocanah.”

You know fundamentally there is no difference between Náráyáńa and Ráma. Nára means Prakrti, Ayana means Shelter. Náráyańa means Shelter of Prakrti i.e. Cognitive Puruśa and Ráma, (Ram + Ghaun = Ráma) i.e. the most attractive entity of the entire cosmos is Parama Puruśa. “I also know”, said Hanuman, “that there is no fundamental difference between Ráma and Náráyańa, but you know my goal is a singular entity – singular in name, singular in idea, ideology and ideation. Ráma is my everything, I don’t know any Náráyańa.”

You are all spiritual aspirants. You are yogiis and you should know that the only interpretation of yoga is “Samyoga yoga Ityukto Jiivátmá Paramátmanah”. All other interpretations are baseless. And you should also remember that for your movement toward your Iśt́a, you have only to practise, your unification with your iśt́a is your only goal, the final desideratum of all the flows of your psychic propensities. The question of suspension of psychic propensities does not arise.