Yoga Sagar

SR No.: 014011
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Paramhamsa Satyananda
Publisher: Bihar School of Yoga Munger
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 436
Language: English
Classification: Seminar & Articles
File Size: 24 MB

Page 116

INTEGRITY AND YOGA :
Swami Sivapremananda Saraswati In this convention I have found so much honesty, so much integrity in the approach to yoga. In every aspect of our life, in our thoughts, in our actions and basic goals, the approach of yoga is extremely useful. It is not merely a philosophical speculation. What difference do esoteric abstractions make in our life? It is of no practical use to only go into the philosophical tradition. From time to time, we have fallen into a sort of speculative philosophy with no practical bearing on life. It is very important that we go back to some of the deep, useful truths. In the Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata and Ramayana, we find answers to many of the basic questions in life, such as: What are we? Where are we coming from? Where are we now? Where are we going? However, we need to apply these great truths in our lives, and for that we need integrity. If there is no integrity, we will have more repetitions of past history.
I am speaking especially of India. After a thousand years of invasions by foreign powers, India's spiritual culture is still alive, but is seriously threatened. India is still a very religious nation, but it is ceasing to be a spiritual one. Therefore, we have to revitalize our spiritual roots and that can only be done through investigation into the real meaning of yoga. Yoga means integration; it is concerned with the wholeness of our lives, of our consciousness, of the pancha koshas about which we have heard, and also beyond the pancha koshas.
First of all, however, let us deal with the meaning of the word 'truth'. In some of the texts there are atiprashnas, excess questions, and in some there are no atiprashnas, you can only say that you are too stupid to answer a question. Any question put to us can be sufficiently explained in order to make it useful in real life. It does not mean, of course, that you can explain everything totally because truth is infinite, there is no totality of truth. There is a wholeness of truth and the wholeness is constantly expanding.
91