Worldview of Raja Yoga

Then all physical ‘stuff’ we see in external world can be traced back to ‘Prakriti’. A biologist will state the same fact as, “all biomass arises out of successive evolution and integrative organization of matter running in cycles through the ecosystem”. What happens when such an evolution takes place? Body of a man is composed of organs, but a man is more than sum total of his organs. Whole is more than sum of its part; because by the act of integration some emergent properties ‘manifests’ which are independent of properties of components. So in external world around us, there is ‘stuff’ and there is ‘manifestations’, there are evolutes of Prakriti and ‘interaction in levels of these realities’.

Raja Yoga attempts to put forward a similar analysis on reality in domain of internal world. At the finest level, there is unmanifested and subtlest material aspect of reality, i.e. Prakriti. All grosser aspects of manifestation, both external and internal, emerge out of Prakriti. In addition, ‘Purusha’ also infuses all this modifications of Prakriti. Purusha is pure untainted consciousness. Purusha is free of and untainted by ‘manifestation’, but all the while infuses these. Because of this infusion, Purusha appears to take false identities in these gross modifications of Prakriti. Goal of Raja Yoga is to start at the grossest level of internal reality and then to trace back through these evolutes of Prakriti, until Purusha is revealed free of false identities. It is a process dependent upon direct experience of reality; hence no a priori assumptions about nature of Purusha are necessary. Raja Yoga achieves this by tools of mediation and concentration. It strives to train the mind to look inward and focus on reality within. Yoga is restraining of mind from taking various forms (Sutra 1.2). Interesting analogy here is that of a turbulent lake (commentary Sutra 1.2). Water (mind) in a lake is incessantly engaged in whirlpools (takes form or thoughts). If these whirlpools or modifications of mind can be quieted down, one will see right through the mind. Base of the lake will reveal itself untainted by modifications. By restraining mind, absolute reality can be observed untainted by modifications of Prakriti. In that state, seer rests in unmodified state (Sutra 1.3). Otherwise, seer is one and is identified with modifications (Sutra 1.4). Practice and non-attachment to modifications (Sutra 1.12) achieve this restraining.

Process or limbs of Raja Yoga

Next step is Dharana, holding the mind on one particular object (Sutra 3.1). The object can be either in the body or outside body. This could be a form of an ideal God, light or any other symbol that attracts the mind. Idea here is to restrain mind and focus it in one and only one modification, a single Vritti in the Chitta. All other modifications of mind loose their existence in Dharana. What follows is ‘an unbroken flow of knowledge (Sutra 3.2), or Dhyana. When mind succeeds in restricting its modifications to only one over some period of tine, it is called Dhyana or meditation. When Dhyana, giving up all forms, giving up on that single Vritti too, reflects only on the meaning, it is Samadhi (Sutra 3.3). It is the state when all the whirlpools in water have gotten rid off and bottom of lake reveals itself.

What is nature of this Samadhi? Let us first see what Samadhi is not. Selfness or Ahamkara (feeling of 'I' ness) is also a modification of mind, so identity of self melts away before reaching Samadhi. All athropomorhic constructs like desires hope or discrimination (buddhi) are also forms of mind (Sutra 4.6 and 4.7). They also vanish. And since mind is defined or observed only through its modification, it also becomes too subtle to perceive. Manifestations of Prakriti have been involuted and traced back to their subtlest. Untainted Purusha is revealed as free from false identities, otherwise perceived because of co-occurrence of Purusha and Prakriti. This is self-realization. It cannot be described in words, as words are but tools of mind. It has to be experienced to be realized. And, that is the goal of Raja Yoga.

What is the proof?

The science of Raja Yoga, in the first place, proposes to give means of observing the internal states. The instrument is mind itself. The goal of all its teachings is how to concentrate the mind, then, how to discover the innermost recesses of our own minds, then, how to generalize their contents and form our own conclusions from them. In the study of the Raja-Yoga no faith or belief is necessary.” Hence the succinct question is what is the proof of worldview postulated by Sankhya philosophy and practice of Raja Yoga. Direct experience (Pratayksha), inference from observed facts (Anumana) or competent evidence (Aptvakya) are the proofs (Sutra 1.7). These possibilities of proofs are quiet similar to those accepted in modern science. Either direct observation or most parsimonious inference or experimental evidence are proof in experimental science.

While a thorough comparative analysis of science and yoga in terms of their investigational goals, mores and methods of interpretation would be extremely interesting; it is beyond the scope of this report. In short, while there is a lot of emphasis on logical analysis in Yoga, nature of interpretation is quiet different. Here I will only point towards two examples for want of space. While Anumana in context of science can be stated as ‘most parsimonious inference capable of explaining all fact is competent inference’. In discussion of Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda parsimonious nature of inference is given up sometimes in favor the argument that ‘unless proven so, a hypothesis can not be stated to be false’. Other difference is in nature of quest itself. Science restricts itself to proximate analysis of natural phenomenon; Yoga attempts to answer the ultimate causation. Science usually asks questions in domain of ‘what, how and when’. Yoga strive the eternal question of ‘why’, it seeks the most generalized explanation of reality. These differences in method and interpretation are rich fodder for intellectual exercise. But in the bigger world-view of Raja Yoga these are only small details. We do need to recognize that science itself is a human endeavor. Once human self and its definitions are melted away in Samadhi, argument about what is evidence is a moot point. It is so because concept of evidence itself is an artificial construct of human mind.

I came here confused,
I am still confused,
Only at a higher level.