The Israel-Iran war escalates further. The US joins hands with Israel and strikes Iran’s three nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan – through Operation Midnight Hammer. It is said: at least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks; In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed and 1,272 people injured. Is it going to give a big edge to the US in the Middle East? Will Russia and China keep quiet? A new big muddle, turmoil in the making for years to come. Will Iran keep quiet? What will happen to crude oil prices? Strait of Hormuz route? Did Trump violate the Constitution in the US? Will he continue? Will he get the Nobel Prize? Will it hit India economically?
International Yoga Day. Yoga. A practice, a way of living, a lifestyle, a life. Every day to reflect, pause, become aware, accept, grow. To engage with ourselves, our bodies, minds; observe changes; reflect deeply within and without. To calm ourselves, our minds. And being there, come what may. Step by step. Moment by moment. To meet ourselves, inner selves, outer selves. May be through ashtanga – yama; niyama; aasana; pranayama; pratyaahaara; dharana; dhyaana; samaadhi. Of ourselves, through ourselves, to ourselves.
Apart from Bhagavad Gita, Yoga’s origins are in India’s ascetic and sramana movements, Jainism, Buddhism, samkhya-based Patanjali yoga sutra, hatha yoga, tantra, yoga vasishta, yoga yagnavalkya et al. Yoga’s broader understanding is that it is a meditative means of discovering dysfunctional perception and cognition, as well as overcoming it to release any suffering, find inner peace, and achieve salvation. This includes the raising and expansion of consciousness from oneself to being coextensive with everyone and everything. It offers a path to omniscience and enlightened consciousness, enabling one to comprehend the impermanent (illusive, delusive) and permanent (true, transcendent) reality.
Yoga is the stilling of the movements of the mind – disciplined meditation; a specific system of thought, analysis, understanding and cultivation of those altered states of awareness towards experiencing spiritual liberation. Yoga is a union or connection with the highest – universe; and/or union of prakrti and purusha. Karma, bhakti, jnana yogas. And raja yoga. Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrittis). Yoga essentially consists of meditative practices culminating in attaining a state of consciousness free from all modes of active or discursive thought, and of eventually attaining a state where consciousness is unaware of any object external to itself, that is, is only aware of its own nature as consciousness unmixed with any other object. Yoga can result in a non-dual state of eternal peace, pure love, self-realization, liberation, nirvaana, full Buddhahood.
Foundational text that deeply explores yoga is The Bhagavad Gita, song of God with 700 verses in 18 chapters. It takes yoga beyond physical postures as a comprehensive path to spiritual liberation. Meditation, action, devotion and knowledge (insights and intuition) form its basis. Performing one’s duties without attachment to the results; love and devotion, with a deep connection; understanding the true nature of reality through inquiry and self-reflection; and meditation with mental discipline and control of the senses, towards a state of inner peace and self-realization. It confirms yoga as the renunciation of fruits of action; meditation; loving devotion; knowledge; practice in that order. Non-action has been rejected. As we are in the universe and the universe is within us. Some individuals are more reflective and intellectual, some are effective and engaged by their emotions, some are action-driven, yet others favour experimentation and exploring what works. Accordingly, one can choose one of these yogas and/or their appropriate blends.
Gita takes us forward from Arjuna Vishaada (Arjuna’s sorrow) to Samkhya (self-realization) – deeds without expectation of the result; to Karma (joy of action); to Jnaana Karma Sanyaasa (knowledge, outer action with inner renunciation); to Karma Sanyaasa (renunciation of fruits of action); to Aatma Samyama (meditation, with equanimity); to Jnaana Vijnaana (knowledge-realization, prakrti-purusha); to Akshara Brahma (devotion, universe); to Raja Vidya Raja Guhya (royal path, devotional worship); to Vibhuti (perfect manifestations in all beings); to Vishvarupa Darshana (cosmic vision); to Bhakti (love and devotion, compassion); to Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga (field and the knower, self; prakrti and purusha); to Gunatraya Vibhaga (three gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas); to Purushottama (supreme self, purusha, kshara-askshra); to Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga (two paths – happiness, suffering – daivik, demonic); to Shraddhatraya Vibhaga (threefold faith, three guna to saathvik, with faith); to Moksha Sanyaasa (liberation and renunciation, final summary – karma-phala-tyaga). It ends with hope for all.
Gita rejects ascetic life and actionless behaviour. It recommends the pursuit of an active life where the individual adopts inner renunciation, without craving for personal rewards. A synthesis of knowledge, devotion, and desireless action is offered as a spectrum of choices. Every aspect of life is a way of salvation – determining what the right action ought to be and then doing the same while being detached to personal outcomes, to fruits, to success or failure. Such work is inherently fulfilling and satisfying. While doing ‘action’, assisted with ‘knowledge’, one has to take the path of loving devotion, a longing, surrender, trust and adoration to the universe. Gita chooses the bhakti way as the easiest way forward. Gita praises the knowledge path but it is considered steep. Meditation, reflection forms central in all the three paths discussed in Gita. It trains the mind. Gita is asking us to sva-dharma, duty, that comes with one’s life situation (mother, father, husband, wife et al) or profession or work, determined by one’s natural turn, gift, and capacities. We need to build ourselves with our freewill for these and serve the society to the best of our abilities, fulfilling the reasonable demands on us.
ChatGPT, AI users. MIT says – 83% users seem to have become forgetful. It reduces brain activity by half. So, we need to use AI rationally and keep our brain active – think a lot; memorize, concentrate; keep reading, writing with hand, doing/solving puzzles, and so on. Can we?
Can we do yoga? Daily. Maybe 30 minutes. May be Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnaana yoga. Karma-phala-thyaaga yoga. Can we include meditation-reflection? Aasanas, exercises, play indoor-outdoor, walking, jogging, running, cycling or gym? Reading-writing-numbers? Diet, taking fruits, taking water? Laugh, smile, conversations, conversations with children, elders? Regular fast – 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours every week, fortnight? Being in nature, watching-seeing-observing life, people, villages, living-livelihoods, nature? In the water, with the water; in the forests, with the trees, on the hills? Teaching, mentoring? Travel, trek? Music, songs, stories? Rest, sleep?
Can we get going?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, flowing. Together. In N? karmaphalatyaagayoga for 7L.
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