The preliminary process of yoga (Sankhya #12)
Kapila describes meditation in the personal form of the Lord through the process of astanga-yoga, composed of the stages of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.
« SANKHYA, The Philosophy of Lord Kapila
The preliminary process of yoga
"The Personality of Godhead said: My dear mother, O daughter of the King, now I shall explain to you the system of yoga, the object of which is to concentrate the mind. By practicing this system one can become joyful and progressively advance towards the path of the Absolute Truth." (SB 3.28.1)
In the previous two chapters, Lord Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and his entanglement in the illusory material creation. He then concluded that devotional service is the supreme process to become free from this conditioning. Now, in chapters 28 and 29, Lord Kapila will explain the process of devotional service in more detail.
The first step in order to become fixed in devotional service is to fix the mind. Once the mind is fixed, we can meditate in the personal form of the Lord. This meditation is the essence of the process of devotional service. Without meditating in the form of the Lord, we become stuck in a quasi-impersonal platform, where we may accept intellectually the idea of devotional service, but are not really capable of seeing Him as a person. Often we think that Mayavadis are just a sect in India, but in reality, impersonalism is the default modus operandi of the souls in the material world. We are here exactly because our propensity of service to the Lord became somehow covered, and the essence of this covering is our failure to see the Lord as a person, who has desires, individuality, feelings, and so on.
In this chapter, Lord Kapila describes the process of meditating in the personal form of the Lord through the process of astanga-yoga, composed of the stages of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. Although practicing the process of astanga-yoga is very difficult in Kali-yuga, the stages of the process, as well as the goal are also applicable to us. As Prabhupada explains in his purport to verse 3.28.11:
"For every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga, but the practice of bhakti-yoga is easier for this age. What was introduced by Lord Caitanya is not a new interpretation. Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult. One has to purify his physiological condition by concentration and by restraint of the senses; then he can fix his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is called samādhi."
In one sense, the process of self-realization is the same in all ages: we need to learn to fix our minds in meditation on the Supreme Lord. What changes are just a few of the practical details.
Yama and Niyama
In verses two to four, Lord Kapila describes Yama and Niyama, the preliminary principles for the yoga process, including what to do, and what to avoid. These points are valid for all processes of self-realization. They give a solid basis from which to develop our practice. All of them are important, and many of the problems we face in our spiritual path come from failing to develop one or more of them.
"One should execute his prescribed duties to the best of his ability and avoid performing duties not allotted to him. One should be satisfied with as much gain as he achieves by the grace of the Lord, and one should worship the lotus feet of a spiritual master.
One should cease performing conventional religious practices and should be attracted to those which lead to salvation. One should eat very frugally and should always remain secluded so that he can achieve the highest perfection of life.
One should practice nonviolence and truthfulness, should avoid thieving and be satisfied with possessing as much as he needs for his maintenance. He should abstain from sex life, perform austerity, be clean, study the Vedas and worship the supreme form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SB 3.28.2-4)
The first principle is sva-dharmācaraṇam, executing one's prescribed duties. This is a topic explained in detail in the Bhagavad-gita. The natural division of society into four classes is naturally present in all societies, the problem is that most don't understand the duties connected with each function. The essence of the varnasrama system is that people may be trained to properly perform their duties. This starts with basic qualities such as honesty, tolerance, being averse to fault-finding, etc., and progresses into more specific qualifications according to one's social functions and occupation. On the other side, one should avoid performing duties that are against his nature and thus not allotted to him. A Brahmana should not fight, a Ksatriya should not try to be artificially non-violent, a Vaisya should not be artificially renounced, and so on.
Apart from these material duties, there is also the supreme duty, which is to serve the Lord. As long as one is in the material platform, one should serve the Lord while simultaneously performing his material duties, but when one becomes completely free from identification with the body, his duty becomes to just serve the Lord, although he may continue performing his material duties to give example to others. This is also well explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
The next principle is santoṣa. One should be satisfied with what comes automatically by the grace of the Lord. Every one of us has a certain quota already allotted to us according to our previous activities. Instead of wasting our human lives trying to obtain more material facilities than what is allotted to us, we are advised to just accept whatever results come through the performance of our duties and honest work, by the grace of the Lord, and instead use our time for self-realization. It's said that at the end of our lives, we don't have to answer for what others do, but only for what we personally do. Other people may sensor or mock us, but we should just do what is right and not be disturbed. They will answer for their actions, and we will answer for ours.
The most important principle from the first verse, however, is ātmavic-caraṇārcanam, we should find a genuine spiritual master and surrender to him, following the process of serving and inquiring about spiritual topics. This process of approaching a spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession is the basic prerequisite for spiritual realization. Although we have access to all the correct conclusions of the scriptures in the books of Srila Prabhupada, still we should find a spiritual master who can help us to properly understand his instructions, as he explains in his books. Without such guidance, it is easy to misunderstand.
Coming to the second verse, the next principle is grāmya-dharma-nivṛttiś, to stop the performance of mundane religious practices that have the goal of achieving material prosperity. There are many activities on this level prescribed in the karma-kanda section of the Vedas, as well as many traditional customs followed by different social groups, but they are not favorable for developing devotional service. They sometimes can work as a first step for people coming from gross materialism, but their benefit is very limited. The root of these religious performances is materialism, and when people see that there is another way to achieve things they want, they tend to abandon such religious performances and become again regular materialists. We can see that this type of religious activity is rejected right at the beginning of Srimad Bhagavatam. Instead, one should concentrate on the practice of devotional service and practices that make us free from material entanglement. For someone already engaged in these higher activities, to go back to mundane religious practices is a fall down.
To be stable in our spiritual practice we need to ascend to the mode of goodness. From passion and ignorance it is very difficult to understand what spiritual practice is, and what to say about being successful in it. To assist us in that, two principles that are very useful are mita-medhyādanam and vivikta-kṣema-sevanam.
Mita-medhyādanam means eating frugally and only pure food. At the beginning of our spiritual practice, eating a lot of prasadam is favorable, because it helps us to lose the taste for contaminated foods. However, as we advance, it becomes progressively more important to also reduce our eating to just what is needed for maintaining the body. Eating too much increases the influence of passion and ignorance, making us lethargic, diseased, and incapable of controlling our senses. On the other hand, eating little makes us active and healthy. As Prabhupada explains, the general rule is that we should eat half of what we would normally eat, and add a quarter of water, leaving the other quarter of the stomach empty. This requires a good dose of self-control, but that's exactly the purpose of human life. The other principle, vivikta-kṣema-sevanam, means to live in a secluded, peaceful place, where our spiritual practice will not be disturbed. For devotees, this means to live with other devotees who are serious in their spiritual practice. That's the main reason Prabhupada emphasized the development of spiritual communities.
Another essential part of our spiritual realization is to be able to see all living entities as parts and parcels of the Lord. The Lord lives in every heart as Paramatma, and thus every living being is worthy of respect. Without practicing ahimsā, our spiritual practice will remain just an external show. The practice of non-violence is explained in more detail later in the teachings of Lord Kapila, as well as in the 11th canto.
When advised by Śukrācārya to break his word, Bali Maharaja argued "How can I behave like an ordinary cheater, especially toward a brāhmaṇa?" then he said: "There is nothing more sinful than untruthfulness. Because of this, mother earth once said, "I can bear any heavy thing except a person who is a liar." (SB 8.20.4). In Kali-yuga, three of the pillars of religious life (cleanliness, austerity, and mercy) have already been destroyed. In this age, we are not very clean (especially internally, in terms of our thoughts and desires), we can't perform serious austerities like people from previous ages, and we are not very merciful. Although people all over the world suffer from the lack of Krsna consciousness, we are not very inclined to sacrifice our own comfort in order to help them. The only thing that sustains dharma in Kali-yuga is truthfulness. Because there is still some degree of truthfulness, people can still approach saintly persons and inquire about spiritual knowledge. When this truthfulness, the last pillar is broken, all is lost. Therefore, Lord Kapila prescribes satyam, truthfulness, as another essential principle for anyone interested in advancing in spiritual life.
Another principle is asteyam. It is translated as "to refrain from theft", but Prabhupada calls our attention to the broader sense of it. Asteyam doesn't mean just not being a thief in an ordinary sense, but avoiding becoming a thief by accumulating more than one needs or not spending one's money for the worship of the Lord. Everything belongs to the Lord because everything is made out of His energy. If we take it and claim it to be our property, that's theft. Instead, we should accept the principle that everything belongs to Krsna and use whatever properties we find under our care in the service of the Lord. A pure devotee may accept any amount of material resources for the service of the Lord, but he will avoid accepting more than necessary for his personal maintenance. This is the principle of īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvam discussed in the first verse of the Śrī Īśopaniṣad.
The last four principles are interconnected. One should practice brahmacaryam, which means to practice celibacy. As Prabhupada explains, it can be practiced by either completely avoiding sex life or by restricting it to sex inside the marriage according to regulations. Illicit sex life is the sinful principle that destroys cleanliness, both internal and external, therefore this is an important principle for one desiring to be serious in spiritual practice. Cleanliness is also essential when one is engaged in worshiping the deity.
Without controlling one's senses, it's also very difficult to study and understand the scriptures. As Prabhupada mentions, "practicing yoga without reading the standard literatures is simply a waste of time." Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura classifies the three stages of spiritual advancement as sambandha, abhidheya, and prayojana. The first stage, sambandha, is based on having a proper understanding. Based on this, one can properly practice the process (abhidheya) and attain the ultimate goal (prayojana).
Asana and Prāṇāyāma
The ultimate goal in all processes of yoga is to focus the mind on the Supreme Lord. The Lord is both inside and outside. There is no place in this world where the Lord is not present. Still, because we are absorbed in the external manifestation, we can't see Him.
In order to be able to withdraw our attention from matter and fix it into the form of the Lord, the first step is to focus the mind. In the process of astanga-yoga, this is done through the processes of asana and pranayama, described by Lord Kapila in verses five to eleven:
"One must observe silence, acquire steadiness by practicing different yogic postures, control the breathing of the vital air, withdraw the senses from sense objects and thus concentrate the mind on the heart.
Fixing the vital air and the mind in one of the six circles of vital air circulation within the body, thus concentrating one’s mind on the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is called samādhi, or samādhāna, of the mind.
By these processes, or any other true process, one must control the contaminated, unbridled mind, which is always attracted by material enjoyment, and thus fix himself in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
After controlling one’s mind and sitting postures, one should spread a seat in a secluded and sanctified place, sit there in an easy posture, keeping the body erect, and practice breath control.
The yogī should clear the passage of vital air by breathing in the following manner: first he should inhale very deeply, then hold the breath in, and finally exhale. Or, reversing the process, the yogi can first exhale, then hold the breath outside, and finally inhale. This is done so that the mind may become steady and free from external disturbances.
The yogīs who practice such breathing exercises are very soon freed from all mental disturbances, just as gold, when put into fire and fanned with air, becomes free from all impurities.
By practicing the process of prāṇāyāma, one can eradicate the contamination of his physiological condition, and by concentrating the mind one can become free from all sinful activities. By restraining the senses one can free himself from material association, and by meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can become free from the three modes of material attachment." (SB 3.28.5-11)
Asana consists of bodily exercises and sitting postures, which help one to ascend from a gross material platform to a more subtle platform, calming the mind and helping to develop concentration, which are prerequisites for meditation. The asanas are thus a preparation, just like a runner may warm up and execute other routines as a preparation for his training. In other words, asanas means to use the material body to perform activities that can elevate one’s consciousness.
More advanced than bodily postures is the process of prāṇāyāma, which consists of breathing exercises: inhaling, exhaling, and holding the breath. It’s a more subtle form of the process of employing the gross body in actions that help to elevate one’s consciousness. The prāṇāyāma process is also summarily explained in the Bhagavad-gita (4.29): "Still others, who are inclined to the process of breath restraint to remain in trance, practice by offering the movement of the outgoing breath into the incoming, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, and thus at last remain in trance, stopping all breathing. Others, curtailing the eating process, offer the outgoing breath into itself as a sacrifice."
As Prabhupada explains, for every item in the yoga system there is a parallel activity in bhakti-yoga. The process of performing asanas has similarities with the process of karma-yoga described in the Bhagavad-gita, which also involves using the body to perform activities that can elevate our consciousness. By performing different services and executing our daily activities with a spirit of devotion to Krsna, we can easily fix our minds in the Lord.
The process of prāṇāyāma, in turn, can be connected with the process of silently chanting the holy names, japa, which offers a similar process for focusing the mind. As Prabhupada explains in his purports, nowhere in the scriptures it is mentioned that one should focus his mind on the void. The process of astanga-yoga is based on focusing our mind in the form of the Lord, which will be described in the next verses. Because it's difficult for a materialist to meditate on the transcendental form of the Lord immediately, one starts by focusing his mind on the movements of the asana poses, then on the movements of the air while doing the prāṇāyāma exercises, and then finally on the form of the Lord. At this stage, neophyte yogis may meditate on the universal form, while more advanced yogis meditate on the form of Paramatma inside the heart.
Similarly, while performing different services, like washing pots, cleaning the floors, or cutting vegetables for Krsna, we may just focus on the activity itself, but this process helps us to quickly connect with the Lord. In the same way, when chanting, we may not directly see the form of the Lord, but we focus our attention on the sound vibration of His holy names, which are non-different from Him. We can see that these processes follow a similar logic to asanas and prāṇāyāma, but they are much more effective. Asanas and prāṇāyāma are just preparatory processes while serving and chanting are processes that put us immediately in contact with the Lord. We may not immediately feel the presence of the Lord while chanting due to intention and other factors, but this doesn't mean the Lord is not there.
Lord Kapila explains that "By these processes, or any other true process, one must control the contaminated, unbridled mind, which is always attracted by material enjoyment, and thus fix himself in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead", reinforcing that asana and pranayama are just tools to achieve the goal of fixing one's mind in meditation in the Lord. In Satya-yuga it was very natural for people to fix their minds in meditation by this process, but in Kali-yuga it is difficult for us to do so. However, we can achieve the same result more easily by the simple process of hearing, chanting, and doing some practical service to the Lord by using our bodies and minds. The process of sankirtana is especially effective, because by chanting and dancing we simultaneously engage all our senses.
As Prabhupada explains, "Bhakti-yoga is a feasible process that begins with chanting and hearing. Bhakti-yoga and other yogas have as their ultimate goal the same Personality of Godhead, but one is practical, and the others are difficult." He also says "The real yogī is the devotee because his mind is always concentrated on the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the topmost yoga system."