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A Compendium of the Raja Yoga Philosophy - Sankaracarya, 1888 - Complete Book

English

) Indifference to the enjoyment of the fruits of one's actions in this world is to have the same amount of dis inclination for the enjoyment of worldly objects of desire (such as garland of flowers, sandalwood paste women and the like) beyond those absolutely necessary for the preservation of life, as one has for vomited, food, &c. The same amount of disin clination to enjoyment in the society of Rhambha, Urvasi and other celestial nymphs in the higher spheres of life beginning with Svarga loka and ending with Brahma loka* * These, it is supposed, include the whole range of Rupa loka (the world ol iorms) in Buddhistic esoteric philosophy.— TR. ( 37 ) (3.) Q.- What are the six qualities beginning with Sama ?' A. Sama, Dama, uparati, titikshd,. samddhana and sraddhd. Sama is the repression of the inward sense called Manas, i.e.,,, not allowing it to engage in. any other thing but Sravana (listening to what the sages say about the spirit), Manana *" (reflecting on it), Nididhyasana (meditating on. the same),. Dama is the repression of the external senses. Q. What are the external senses ? A. The five organs of perception and the five bodily organs for the performance of external acts. Restraining these from all other things but Sravana and the rest — is dama-. Uparati is the abstaining on principle from engaging in any of the acts and ceremonies enjoined by the shastras. Otherwise' it is the state of the mind which is always engaged in Sravana and the rest, without ever diverging from them. Titikshd (literally the desire to leave) is the bearing witli indifference all opposites (such- as pleasure and pain, heat and cold, &c.). Otherwise, it is the showing of forbearance to a person one is capable of punishing. Whenever a mind, engaged in Sravana and the rest, wanders to any worldly object of desire, and, finding it worthless, returns to the performance of the three exercises — such returning is called samadhdna.. Sraddhd is an intensely strong faith in the utterances of one's guru and. of the Yedanta philosophy. (4.) An intense desire for liberation is called mwimkahat- vam. Those who possess these four qualifications,, are worthy of engaging in discussions as to the nature of Spirit and Not- spirit, and, like Brahmacharins, they have no other duty (but. such discussion). It is not, however, at all improper, for house holders to engage in such discussions ; but, on the contrary,, * These terms will be more fully explained in the appendix. — TR. ( 38 > such a course is highly meritorious. For it is said : — Whoever, with due reverence, engages in the discussion of subjects treated of in Vedanta philosophy and does proper service to his guru, reaps happy fruits. Discussion as to the nature of Spirit and Not-spirit is therefore a duty. Q. What is Spirit ? A. It is that principle which enters into the composition of man besides the three bodies, and which is distinct from the five sheaths (Kashas), being sat (existence),* chit (consciousness), •(• and ananda (bliss),J and witness of the three states. Q. What are the three bodies ? A. The gross (sthula^,tihQ subtile sukshama and the causal (kdrana). Q. What is the gross body1* A. That which is the effect of the Mahabhutas (primordial subtile elements) differentiated into the five gross ones (Panchi- kritd),^ is born of Karmi and subject to the six changes beginning with birth.§ It is said : — What is produced by the (subtile) elements differentiated into the five gross ones, is acquired by Karma, and is the measure of pleasure and pain, is called the body (sarira) par excellence. * This stands for Purushg,. — Tr. t This stands for Prakriti, cqsmic matter, irrespective of the state we perceive ft, to be in. — Tr. t Bliss is M&yd or Sakti, it, 19 the creative energy producing changes of State in Prakriti. Says the Shruti (Taittiriya Upanishat) :— " Verily from Bliss are all these bhutas born, and being born by it they live, and they return and enter into Bliss." — Tr. H The five subtile elements thus produce the gross ones : — each of the five Is divided into eight parts, four of those parts and one part of each of the others enter into combination, and the result is the gross element correspond ing with the subtile element, whose parts predominate in the composition. -Tr. § These six changes are :— birth, death, being in time, growth, decay, and Undergoing change of substance (parindm) as milk is changed into whey.— 2V. ( 39 ) Q. What is the subtile body ? A. It is the effect of the elements not differentiated into five and having 17 characterstic marks (lingas), Q, What are the seventeen ? A. The five channels of knowledge (Jnanendriyas), the five organs of action, the five vital airs beginning with prdna, and manas and buddhi. Q. What are the Jnanendriyas ? A. [Spiritual] Ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose, Q. What is the ear ? A. That channel of knowledge which transcends the [physi cal] ear, is limited by the auricular orifice on which the dkds depends, and which is capable of taking cognisance of sound. Q. The skin ? A. That which transcends the skin, on which the skin de pends, and which extends from bead to foot and has the power of perceiving heat and cold. Q. The eye ? A. That which transcends the ocular orb, on which the orb depends, which is centred in the black iris and has the power of cognising forms. Q. The tongue ? A. That which transcends the tongue and can perceive taste. Q. The nose ? A. That which transcends the nose, and has the power of smelling. Q. What are the organs of action ? A. The organ of speech (vach), hands, feet, etc. Q. What is vdch ? ( 40 ) A. That which transcends speech, in which speech resides, and which is located in eight different centres* and has the power of speech. Q. What are the eight centres ? A. Breast, throat, head, upper and neither lips, palate, liga ture (frenum), binding the tongue to the lower jaw and tongue. Q. What is the orgin of the hands ? A. That which transcends the hands on which the palms depend and which has the power of giving and taking. * (The other organs are similarly described). Q. What is the antahkarana ?•(• A. Manas, buddhi, chitti and ahankara form it. The seat of the mams is the root of the throat, of buddhi the face, of chitfa the umbilicus, and of ahanfara the breast. The functions of these four components of antahkarana are respectively doubt* certainty, retention, and egotism. Q. How are the five vital airs,J beginning with prana, named ? A. Prdna, apdna, vyana, udana and saun&na* Their locations are said to be : — of prana the breast, of apana the fundamentum* * The secret commentaries say seven ; for it does not separate the lips into the " upper" and " nether" lips. And it adds to the seven centres the seven passages in the head connected with, and effected by, vdch ; namely— the mouth, the two eyes, the two nostrils and the two ears. " The left year, eye and nostril being the messengers of the right side of the head ; the right ear, eye and nostril— those of the left side." Now this is purely scientific. The latest discoveries and conclusions of modern physiology have shown that the power or the faculty of human speech is located in the third frontal cavity of the left hemisphere of the brain. On the other hand, it is a well known fact that the nerve tissues inter-cross each other (decussate) in the brain in such a way that the motions of our left extremeties are governed by the right hemisphere, while the motions of our right hand limbs are subject to the left hemisphere of the brain.— Ed. t A flood of light will be thrown on the text by an editorial note in Theo- so})hist, vol. IV, 11, 269 :— " Antahkarana is the path of communication between soul and body, entirely disconnected with the former, existing with, belonging to, and dying with the body." This path is well traced in the text. —Tr. J These vital airs and sub-airs are magnetic currents,— Z>, ( 41 ) of samdna, the umbilicus, of uddna the throat, and vydna is spread all over the body. Functions of these are :—prdna goes out, apdna descends, uddna ascends, samdna reduces the food eaten into an undistinguishable state, and vydna circulates all over the body. Of these five vital airs there are five sub-airs, namely, ndga, karma, krikara, devadatta and dhananjaya.