The philosophy of Yoga (Introduction)

Markandeya Purana (Study)

by Chandamita Bhattacharya | 2021 | 67,501 words

This page relates 鈥榩hilosophy of Yoga (Introduction)鈥� of the study on the Markandeya Purana, one of the oldest of the eigtheen Mahapuranas preserving the history, civilisation, culture and traditions of ancient India. The Markandeyapurana commences with the questions raised by Rishi Jaimini (a pupil of Vyasa), who approaches the sage Markandeya with doubts related to the Mahabharata. This study examines various social topics such as the status of women, modes of worship, yoga, etc.

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The philosophy of Yoga (Introduction)

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Yoga and 厂腻峁僰丑测补 may be considered to belong to the same family. 厂腻峁僰丑测补 refers to the theoretical concept whereas Yoga may be treated as its practical counterpart. The word Yoga comes from the English word 鈥榶oke鈥� meaning to join.^[1] Yoga joins the divinity within us with the pervasive divinity around us.^[2] Basically, Yoga is the joining of the 腻迟尘补苍 and brahman. The word Yoga is found to have several meanings used in several senses. In the 峁欢惫别诲补, Yoga literally means 鈥測oking鈥� or 鈥渃onnecting鈥� which practically means to yoke the mind in order to increase the concentration power of the mind to achieve the unachieved.^[3] The word 鈥榶oking鈥� was found in the later Vedic period also.^[4]

艢谤墨尘补诲产丑补驳补惫补诲驳墨迟腻 explains both 厂腻峁僰丑测补 and Yoga together:

补办补峁� 蝉腻峁僰丑测补峁� ca 测辞驳补峁� ca ya岣� pa艣yati sa pa艣yati.^[5]

The word Yoga is derived from the root yuj with the suffix 驳丑补帽 which have two meanings, union (yujir Yoge) and concentration (yuj sam膩dhan) i.e. the union of the individual soul and the supreme soul.^[6] 艢谤墨尘补诲产丑补驳补惫补诲驳墨迟腻 explains the word in both senses.^[7] However, both these meanings equally hold well in the 骋墨迟腻. But, according to 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈, Yoga does not mean union. He puts forward another significant meaning of Yoga which is complete suppression of mental modes. According to 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈 and Kapila, Yoga means to achieve stability in the mental state in order to have commendable control over the mind which, in turn, enables one to discriminate between 笔耻谤耻峁 or the soul and the Prakriti.^[8] Thus the term Yoga designated as viyoga i.e. separation between 笔谤补办峁泃颈 and 笔耻谤耻峁.^[9]

The Yoga Philosophy

According to 鲍辫补苍颈峁诲蝉, controlling the senses is known as Yoga.^[10] The 础尘补谤补办辞峁 gives the definition of Yoga.^[11] The 驰腻箩帽补惫补濒办测补 states that the combination of the individual soul and the supreme soul is yoga.^[12] The 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉 explain the definition of Yoga in various ways.

According to the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺,

膩tmaprayagtnas膩pek峁Ｄ� vi艣i峁ａ弓膩 y膩 manogati岣� /
迟补蝉测腻产谤补丑尘补峁噄 sa峁儁ogo yoga ithyabhidh墨yate /^[13]

Here Yoga means the intellectual activity specified by one鈥檚 own efforts by which one becomes united with Brahman.

According to 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,

cittav峁泃tinirodh膩khya峁� yogatattva峁� prak墨rtitam //^[14]

I.e. the element of Yoga signifies to contain the control of the instability of the mind. The 尝颈苍驳补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 also states that acquiring the knowledge of everything in this world is called Yoga.^[15] According to the 骋补谤耻岣峚辫耻谤腻峁嘺, the unity among the Brahman and 腻迟尘补苍 is called Yoga.^[16] The 础驳苍颈辫耻谤腻峁嘺 states that, Yoga is a kind of mental activity. Yoga depends upon one鈥檚 own effort and union with Brahman.^[17] It is defined as the connection of accurate coordination between the mind and the senses. The 叠谤补丑尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 states that only sitting in 辫补诲尘腻蝉补苍补 and concentrating on the tip of the nose is not considered to be Yoga.^[18]

惭补丑补谤峁 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈 is known as the founder of the Yoga system. P膩tanjali鈥檚 Yoga system yet this fact cannot be denied that Yoga has been followed by people from the ancient time.

The oldest recorded text book of Yoga is the 驰辞驳补蝉奴迟谤补 of 惭补丑补谤峁 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈. At the very outset of the book, 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈 made the readers very clear that yoga only means complete suppression of the mental modes which requires immense concentration power of the mind i.e., 肠颈迟迟补惫峁泃迟颈苍颈谤辞诲丑补岣�.^[19] The 驰辞驳补蝉奴迟谤补 consists of four chapters or 笔腻诲补蝉, containing different objectives and the explanations. The first chapter, 蝉补尘腻诲丑颈辫腻诲补, primarily concentrates on the nature and aim of 厂补尘腻诲丑颈 or meditative absorption in 51 蝉奴迟谤补蝉. The second chapter called 蝉腻诲丑补苍补辫腻诲补, containing 55 蝉奴迟谤补蝉, elaborates the ways to find the path to the end. The third chapter namely 惫颈产丑奴迟颈辫腻诲补 describes in 55 蝉奴迟谤补蝉, the different techniques of Yoga practices to achieve supernatural powers. The fourth chapter 办补颈惫补濒测补辫腻诲补, which contains 34 蝉奴迟谤补蝉, discusses the nature and ways for liberation.^[20]

It has been already stated that Yoga and 厂腻峁僰丑测补 are subjects that are correlated and there is only a little difference in the philosophical principles between the two. One striking difference between the two is that Yoga clearly points out the ways following which one can attain the knowledge of distinction between the self and the not self which 厂腻峁僰丑测补 seems to lack. But ultimately both aim at attaining the most important knowledge of life, the discriminative knowledge (viveka-办丑测腻迟颈). According to Mukta Biswas, 鈥渇or all practical purposes 厂腻峁僰丑测补 and Yoga may be treated as the theoretical and practical sides of the same system.鈥�^[21] The Yoga philosophy admits the existence of God. Even though, it acknowledges the presence of God, It does not deviate from the principles laid down in the 厂腻峁僰丑测补. Therefore, Yoga philosophy is also regarded as theistic 厂腻峁僰丑测补 in many instances. Both Yoga and 厂腻峁僰丑测补 philosophy favour the dualism of 笔耻谤耻峁 and 笔谤补办峁泃颈. 笔谤补办峁泃颈 is unique and is non intelligent whereas 笔耻谤耻峁 is many in number and is conscious. The 厂腻峁僰丑测补 acknowledges twenty five principles and so does Yoga. However, there is an additional principle that can be found in Yoga philosophy which is God. But according to Yoga, God is only a special form of 笔耻谤耻峁 or the self who is eternally liberated and can see or sense the eternal truth.^[22] Perception, inference and testimony are the three 辫谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉 accepted by the Yoga philosophy.

According to Yoga philosophy, the mind (also citta or buddhi) experiences a constant modification throughout the life. These mental modifications take place as a result of gain of knowledge. Yoga philosophy acknowledges pain as a mode of citta. To get rid of this pain, one has to have complete control over his mind so that no modification of citta can take place. All the pains cease as the further modification in the citta ceases.^[23] This is why, 惭补丑补谤峁 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈, emphasizes on complete suppression of mental modes in his book 驰辞驳补蝉奴迟谤补. On the 驰辞驳补蝉奴迟谤补, 痴测腻蝉补 wrote a commentary called 痴测腻蝉补bh膩峁a or 驰辞驳补产丑腻峁补. After that some scholars V膩caspati Mi艣ra, Vij帽膩nabhik峁, Bhojor膩ja etc. have developed this Yoga system.

Yoga in the 惭腻谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺

Almost all the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, specially the 惭补迟蝉测辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[24] the 厂办补苍诲补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[25] the 痴颈峁ａ箛耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[26] the 碍奴谤尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[27] the 尝颈峁単补辫耻谤腻峁嘺^[28], the 础驳苍颈辫耻谤腻峁嘺^[29] , the 骋补谤耻岣峚辫耻谤腻峁嘺^[30] , the 叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[31] the 痴腻测耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[32] the 叠谤补丑尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺,^[33] etc. describe the different aspects of Yoga philosophy. Manvantara, Yoga, method of computation of a Yoga and division of time, Yoga in relation to events and personalities etc have been discussed in the 痴腻测耻辫耻谤腻峁嘺.^[34] The realization of the ultimate reality through the attainment of Brahmahood as 惭补丑别艣惫补谤补 has been also discussed in this 笔耻谤腻峁嘺. This is called apavarga.^[35] This realisation is achieved through the manas and buddhi. It also discusses the attainment of Brahman. This can be attained through the power of the Yoga.

The Brahma-bhakti, which may be 碍腻测颈办补, 痴腻肠颈办补 and 惭腻苍补蝉颈办补, Vaidiki and 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办颈 have been delineated in the 笔补诲尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺. This 膧诲丑测腻迟尘颈办颈 bhakti is further subdivided into the Yoga bhakti and 厂腻峁僰丑测补 bhakti.^[36] In the 笔补诲尘补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, the practice of 辫谤腻峁嘺测腻尘补 and meditation upon Lord 叠谤补丑尘腻, is called Yoga bhakti.^[37]

The 惭补谤办补峁囜笉别测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 is one of the oldest and most important of the extant 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉. Among the 134 chapters, this 笔耻谤腻峁嘺 contains five chapters viz, 36 to 40 chapters dealing with 狈颈惫峁泃迟颈 dharma or Yoga. In this 笔耻谤腻峁嘺, Dattatreya said to Alarka how one can get final emancipation through the attain yoga or control of the breath, control of the senses, meditation etc.