Yoga Sutras Discussion
Meditationtime Forum Post
Date: Posted 5 years before Jun 27, 2017
MiBeloved 5 years ago
Discussion on Yoga Sutras on LinkedIn:
Sloka 3: Tada Drastuhu Swarupe Avasthanam
Then the seer abides in his own(true) nature.
Once the thought forms in the mind have ceased, the seer is able to abide in his own nature.
As long as mind is a factory of thoughts, it deludes one into identifying oneself with it. I associate with my mind, therefore I feel I am the mind. When I am happy, I say "I am happy", when I am sad I say "I am sad"
It is this wrong identification with the mind that takes us on a roller coaster ride: the boat of samsara.
Once these modifications of the mind are recognized and slowed down mind becomes calmer and calmer and the seer realizes that he is not the mind but the witness.
Once you are in this witness state, you identify yourself as the ever true, ever happy ever "Chaitanya(consciousness)" state called : satchitananda.
Mind colors your perception of yourself.
Like a distorted mirror shows our distorted image, the mind which is full of modifications shows our self as a distorted self.
When we are able to see ourselves in a clean mirror: in a calm mind which is without ripples. Our true self shines in its original brilliant form.
MiBeloved's Response:
Tada really means ‘then’ which implies that something must be done before hand, and then this verse will become reality.
I hope you are not new-aging this and making it over simple.
Even if thoughts shut down, still the person may not have reached this "then" point which Patanjali took so many Sanskrit slokas to describe.
It depends on specific process which causes the shut down. I can take opium and also cause thoughts to shut down and vrittis to stop, and still not reach this stage.
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Satyajit:
Not really, I am not making it over simple, but it is only the third sloka !
The explanation of how that stage is reached comes in forthcoming slokas !
You are free to add and correct me.
But I do like to simplify if not over simplify.
If you see the danger of over simplification you could add your comments, you are most welcome ! :)
MiBeloved's Response:
Chittavritti (cittavrtti) is inclusive of thought forms. Some of the chittavritti do not take the forms of thoughts but only vibrate in the psyche without any expressive thoughts.
People are misled into thinking that it is just thought forms. Then they assumed they have mastered Patanjali Yoga. In fact there are many experts on Yoga Sutras who teach on that basis where chittavritti is thoughts forms.
The mind can be thoughtless and still the seer may not be in its essential nature.
Look at this:
yogaḥcittavṛtti nirodhaḥ
yogaḥ – the skill of yoga; cittavṛtti = citta – mento-emotional energy + vṛtti – vibrational mode; nirodhaḥ – cessation, restraint, non-operation.
The skill of yoga is demonstrated by the conscious non-operation of the vibrational modes of the mento-emotional energy.
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tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe avasthānam
tadā – then; draṣṭuḥ – the perceiver; svarūpe – in his own form; avasthānam – is situated.
Then the perceiver is situated in his own form.
The word rupa means form or shape. It is different to a word like bhava for instance or prakriti.
This is important because otherwise it will be hard to explain later why Patanjali mentioned Ishvara.
Patanjali was a personalist yogi as compared to say Shankara who was the classic advaita vedanti
