The Gandhi-King Community

For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

E-mail- dr.yadav.yogendra@gandhifoundation.net;

dr.yogendragandhi@gmail.com                                    

Mailing Address- C- 29, Swaraj Nagar, Panki, Kanpur- 208020, Uttar Pradesh, India

 

Maharshi Patanjali and Mahatma Gandhi

Patanjali tells us that if we restrain the waves from rising, we shall know whether the master of the chitta is desire or whether it is God, Expanding the phrase chittavriti, Shri Krishna spoke of chitta and indriyas in this verse. 1 If you are good, the world is good. Bhagwan Patanjali has written that the desire for revenge disappears in the presence of nonviolence. If we are ourselves slaves we regard all others also as slaves. In short, who wants to cheat an innocent man? One who tries to play false with such a person will ultimately only hurt himself. If we do not retaliate, if we do not oppose the misdeeds of a wicked person, his misdeeds themselves will bring about his downfall. He will fall and then correct himself.  These shlokas refer to some of the yogic practices laid down in the Yoga-sutras. A word of caution is necessary regarding these practices. They serve for the yogi the same purpose as athletics and gymnastics do for the bhogi (who pursues worldly pleasures). His physical exercises help the latter to keep his senses of enjoyment in full vigour. The yogic practices help the yogi to keep his body in condition and his senses in subjection. Men versed in these practices are rare in these days, and few of these turn them to good account. He who has achieved the preliminary stage on the path of self-discipline, he who has a passion for Freedom, and who having rid himself of the pairs of opposites has conquered fear, would do well to go in for these practices which will surely help him.

It is such a disciplined man alone who can, through these practices, render his body a holy temple of God. Purity both of the mind and body is a sine qua non, without which these processes are likely, in the first instance, to lead a man astray and then drive him deeper into the slough of delusion. That this has been the result in some cases many know from actual experience. That is why that prince of yogis, Patanjali, gave the first place to yamas (cardinal vows) and niyamas (casual vows) and held as eligible for yogic practices only those who have gone through the preliminary discipline. 2 This is one thing and the sutras of Patanjali are another thing. The latter leave many things unsaid. This cannot be said of the Gita. But here the author gives a new connotation to familiar expressions, which makes them difficult to understand. My language has one quality, viz. brevity. However, it is imperfect, whereas the Gita is perfect. When I say that my language is imperfect I do not imply that I have inadequate command over the language, although that too is true. What is implied here is that my thoughts are imperfect. Hence there is bound to be difficulty in understanding them. As my thoughts mature, they will come to be expressed so as to be easily comprehended. Having admitted this shortcoming in my language, I can still say that some readers do not make the fullest effort and then fail to understand even perfectly expressed ideas. And then they blame me! For example, let us take the instance cited by the correspondent himself. Spinning is a tangible activity; it can therefore be actually demonstrated. Agitation of the mind is intangible.

It is quite correct to say that restlessness can be got over by practice. Today, we have no means for actually demonstrating [the truth of] this. If we learn to reduce our thought processes to a visual image we would be able to obtain a picture of this practice too as we do of spinning. At present we can only say that mental restlessness can be got rid of through diligent praying. In this, one has to rely on the truthfulness of the student, i.e., his adherence to truth. Who can know a person who pretends to pray while continuing to be agitated? Or, who is there to rebuke the individual who deceives himself every day and while praying daily makes many impossible plans? In other words, the success of practice depends entirely upon the sincerity of the aspirant. If there is insincerity in spinning, it can be pointed out to the spinner, since it can be directly perceived. 3 Is it possible that a member of the Gandhi Seva Sangh might claim that his dharma is different from his wife’s and sister’s? This is neither religious tolerance nor is it non-violence. People will think we are hypocrites. Intense faith is what is called dharma. The essence of dharma is non-violence; it is another name for it. Its power is such that the sword would drop from the Englishman’s hand. The Muslim’s lawlessness would be held back. Patanjali has said that violence becomes ineffective when confronted by non-violence. If this has not happened till this day it is because our non-violence has been that of the weak and timid. 4 

Bhagwan Patanjali has described yoga as control of movements of the mind. This time you may practise self-control. But that does not mean that if you get another occasion of going to Santiniketan for the benefit of dharma, you should not go. My own view, though, is that as long as you do not adjust yourself to Segaon you will continue to feel restless. It is here that you will get peace sooner or later. You will not find any place where everything will be to your liking. Let us, therefore, learn the art of liking everything. 5 Well, well, no amount of argument can teach us ahimsa. And you must not forget that one cannot be sure of the purity of one’s intention until one has gone through the whole course of spiritual training laid down by masters of yoga like Patanjali. Perfect chitta shuddhi cannot be achieved in any other way. 6

Patanjali has described five disciplines. It is not possible to isolate any one of these and practise it. It may be possible in the case of truth, because it really includes the other four. And for this age the five have been expanded into eleven. Vinoba has put them in the form of a Marathi verse: They are non-violence, truth, non-stealing, brahmacharya, non-possession, bread labour, control of the palate, fearlessness, equal regard for all religions, swadeshi and removal of untouchability. 7

 

References:

  1. July 8, 1926
  2. Bapuna Patro—Ashramni Behnone, pp. 77
  3. Harijanbandhu, 22-10-1933
  4. Speech at Gandhi Seva Sangh Meeting, March 30, 1938
  5. Letter to Munnalal G. Shah, February 13, 1940
  6. Harijan, 8-9-1940
  7. Harijan, 8-6-1947

 

 

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