Hatha Yoga and the Bhagavad-gita
by Steven J. Rosen
Article courtesy of BTG International Magazine - based in Florida, USA
The Gita also discusses pranayama, or breath control, the fourth limb. Krishna says that yogis can use the incoming and outgoing breath as offerings to Him. He speaks about dedicating one’s life breath to God. He tells Arjuna that His devotees’ prana, or air of life, is meant for God and that Arjuna should use it “to come to Me.” In fact, if one follows Arjuna’s example and offers every breath to Krishna—by speaking about Him, chanting His glories, and living for Him—there is little need for breath control as delineated in Patanjali’s sutras. Breathing for God is the essence of pranayama. Srila Prabhupada writes, “Chanting of the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy are also considered pranayama.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.23.8, Purport)
The fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara, deals with the withdrawal of the senses, a major subject in the Bhagavad-gita. In the Second Chapter Krishna tells Arjuna that the yogi withdraws his senses from sense objects, “as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell.” Taken superficially, this might seem to suggest full renunciation of the world. But that’s not what Krishna is getting at. Rather, as other verses make clear, He’s teaching how to renounce the fruits of work, not work itself, and how to be in the world but not of it. In other words, His teaching centers on how to withdraw one’s attachment to sense objects for personal enjoyment. He instructs us to use these same objects in the service of God. That is true pratyahara.
The Upper Limbs
And then we have the culmination of yoga practice—the last three limbs of raja-yoga: dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, or concentration, meditation, and complete absorption. Whileyama and niyama are preliminary steps, these three are calledsamyama, “the perfect dicipline” or “perfect practice.” Bhagavad-gita speaks extensively of these upper limbs. For example, Lord Krishna states, “Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.
My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without
deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga [abhyasa-yogena]. In
this way develop a desire to attain Me.” (Bg. 12.8–9)
The process of Krishna consciousness is practical dharana, or spiritual concentration. By seeing paintings of Krishna, we use our sense of sight for God; by chanting and hearing we engage the tongue and the ear; by offering incense to Krishna we engage our sense of smell. All the senses can help us engage in dharana, leading to advanced states of meditation and absorption.
The holy name is particularly effective in this regard. That’s why Krishna says that of austerities He is the austerity of japa, private chanting, especially while counting on beads. Chanting is the king of austerities because by chanting we can easily reach the goal of yoga. It all comes together in the practice of japa because by chanting God’s names we focus on Him with our voice, ears, and sense of touch. And kirtana, congregational chanting, not only takes us to deep levels of absorption but engages the senses of onlookers as well. In sutra 1.28, Patanjali, too, promotes “constant chanting.”
Overall, Patanjali’s ambivalence might appear confusing. When he first mentions ishvara-pranidhana, dedication to God, he presents it as optional, while later he gives it far more attention, with six verses elaborating on the nature of ishvara. In the beginning he seems to allow variance in the object of meditation (1.34-38), but ultimately he advises the yogi to focus on ishvara, who in Patanjali’s words is the “special supreme soul” who alone can bestow samadhi, yogic perfection.
Patanjali says in sutra 3.3 that samadhi occurs when the object of your meditation appears in your heart of hearts without any competitors or distractions. You have no other interest, as if your intrinsic nature loses meaning.
The Bhagavad-gita makes it clearer. In samadhi your intrinsic nature doesn’t lose meaning. Rather, it takes on new meaning: You see yourself in relation to Krishna. You are now His devotee; He’s the focus of your life. That state of perfect and total absorption is called Krishna consciousness.
Footnotes:
1. Edwin F. Bryant, “Patanjali’s Theistic Preference, Or, Was the Author of the Yoga-sutras a Vaishnava,” in The Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Volume 14, Number 1 (Fall 2005).
2. Ibid.
3. This has been pointed out by my friend Graham Schweig, professor of religion at Christopher Newport University, Virginia. Much of the material in this article on the eight limbs of yoga comes from his interviews and lectures
Link to original article here
The fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara, deals with the withdrawal of the senses, a major subject in the Bhagavad-gita. In the Second Chapter Krishna tells Arjuna that the yogi withdraws his senses from sense objects, “as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell.” Taken superficially, this might seem to suggest full renunciation of the world. But that’s not what Krishna is getting at. Rather, as other verses make clear, He’s teaching how to renounce the fruits of work, not work itself, and how to be in the world but not of it. In other words, His teaching centers on how to withdraw one’s attachment to sense objects for personal enjoyment. He instructs us to use these same objects in the service of God. That is true pratyahara.
The Upper Limbs
And then we have the culmination of yoga practice—the last three limbs of raja-yoga: dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, or concentration, meditation, and complete absorption. Whileyama and niyama are preliminary steps, these three are calledsamyama, “the perfect dicipline” or “perfect practice.” Bhagavad-gita speaks extensively of these upper limbs. For example, Lord Krishna states, “Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.
My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without
deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga [abhyasa-yogena]. In
this way develop a desire to attain Me.” (Bg. 12.8–9)
The process of Krishna consciousness is practical dharana, or spiritual concentration. By seeing paintings of Krishna, we use our sense of sight for God; by chanting and hearing we engage the tongue and the ear; by offering incense to Krishna we engage our sense of smell. All the senses can help us engage in dharana, leading to advanced states of meditation and absorption.
The holy name is particularly effective in this regard. That’s why Krishna says that of austerities He is the austerity of japa, private chanting, especially while counting on beads. Chanting is the king of austerities because by chanting we can easily reach the goal of yoga. It all comes together in the practice of japa because by chanting God’s names we focus on Him with our voice, ears, and sense of touch. And kirtana, congregational chanting, not only takes us to deep levels of absorption but engages the senses of onlookers as well. In sutra 1.28, Patanjali, too, promotes “constant chanting.”
Overall, Patanjali’s ambivalence might appear confusing. When he first mentions ishvara-pranidhana, dedication to God, he presents it as optional, while later he gives it far more attention, with six verses elaborating on the nature of ishvara. In the beginning he seems to allow variance in the object of meditation (1.34-38), but ultimately he advises the yogi to focus on ishvara, who in Patanjali’s words is the “special supreme soul” who alone can bestow samadhi, yogic perfection.
Patanjali says in sutra 3.3 that samadhi occurs when the object of your meditation appears in your heart of hearts without any competitors or distractions. You have no other interest, as if your intrinsic nature loses meaning.
The Bhagavad-gita makes it clearer. In samadhi your intrinsic nature doesn’t lose meaning. Rather, it takes on new meaning: You see yourself in relation to Krishna. You are now His devotee; He’s the focus of your life. That state of perfect and total absorption is called Krishna consciousness.
Footnotes:
1. Edwin F. Bryant, “Patanjali’s Theistic Preference, Or, Was the Author of the Yoga-sutras a Vaishnava,” in The Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Volume 14, Number 1 (Fall 2005).
2. Ibid.
3. This has been pointed out by my friend Graham Schweig, professor of religion at Christopher Newport University, Virginia. Much of the material in this article on the eight limbs of yoga comes from his interviews and lectures
Link to original article here
