Yoga Sutra II- 47 - PRAYATNA SAITHILYANANTA SAMAPATTIGHYAM - By lessening the natural tendency for restlessness and by meditating on the infinite, posture is mastered.Swami Satchidananda says "If the body is still, it is easy to make the mind still." He said one of his teachers would say,"You need not repeat any prayers or even do japa. Just sit quietly for three hours in a row with no movement whatsoever, without even winking, then everything will be accomplished easily." Swami Satchidananda said that if we could sit that long, we could control our mind automatically. "Through the body we can put a brake on the mind." We are told that this an accomplishment of asana or the benefit of asana siddhi. (From the Wikipedia - Siddhi (Sanskrit:सिद्धिः; siddhiḥ) is a Sanskrit word that literally means "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success".[1] It is also used as a term for spiritual power (or psychic ability). The term is used in that sense in Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism)
Other illustrations of siddhis that can control the mind are given as follows:
- Bhojana, (eating) siddhi - Restriction to eating just a certain amount of food a day at a certain time.
- Sthala siddhi- Limiting your movement by taking a vow (like not moving out of state, or your apartment for a year.
Swami Satchidananda informs us that we might have experienced taking a vow to do something and then being immediately tested on it. Examples are given like if we decide not to leave a place and someone immediately afterwards offers us a free ticket somewhere else. Of we decide to go on a fast and someone brings us something delicious. Once we decide on taking a vow, the tests tend to come immediately.
A reference to Hindu philosophy (South Indian Saivism) is made about sixty-three Saiva Siddhanta saints by the name of Nayanars.
The Nayanars "realized the truth by taking just one vow and sticking to it, even at the cost of their lives." Swami Satchidananda tells a story of a king who made a vow of seeing holy ash on any forehead of a person that he would treat them as Lord Siva himself and would give him anything he asked. An enemy king heard of the vow and took advantage the situation by smearing ash on his forehead, disguised as a philosophy teacher. He ended up killing the king who made the vow. He died saying the Lord's name, with his last breath having a vision of God. He stuck to his word. Swami Satchidananda ends the commentary with "The idea behind taking one vow and sticking to it is that we become masters of our minds." He also uses Hindu marriages as an example of the same principle. The mate is accepted as whatever they are and looked at as the a gift from the Lord.
So the analogies given in this commentary can be viewed as an asana in the context that one becomes steady in a vow, takes a seat so to speak and does not waver. The asana is the firm, comfortable posture that helps to still the mind.
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2 comments:
Hello Bometernally- I really like you sharing this information with us. I have not come to my awareness using this path, but a lot of times reading the words of your teachers I get a little insight, or something will just fit somewhere for me. Isn't that such a beautiful thing. I think when someone reaches a broad enough view they can speak so that all who are listening can hear, no matter what the particular path of the speaker or the listener.
Thanks for being you. Anne
Greetings Anne - I really like sharing this information as well. For me it is a review and you know when you re-read something over after a time you see it with even newer eyes and a deeper understanding. And I know what you mean as far a getting a little insight.
I totally concur that "when someone reaches a broad enough view they can speak so that all who are listening can hear, no matter what the particular path of the speaker or the listener."
Thank you for being you as well Anne (:-)
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