During the last decade, innumerable books and articles about yoga and meditation have been published. However, all that has been written and said up to date is only a minute part of what can still be said about this ancient wisdom.
Even so, there are those who still think of youth—preserving exercises or weight control methods when they hear the word yoga. Others relate it to magic, supernatural abilities, mystical powers, or methods of breathing, and staying healthy. Then there are those who think that yoga is only an intellectual philosophy from the East, while others believe that it is a method of relaxation, imagining a person with closed eyes in the lotus posture.
These ideas are in some ways correct; yoga encompasses all of the above. The error originates in the notion that yoga is limited only to these things, when, actually, this ancient holistic wisdom affects and influences each and every aspect of the human being.
Relating yoga to magic or miracles is not completely misguided because there is no miracle more marvelous than the transformation, development, and evolution of a human being on the physical, mental, and emotional levels. Could there be a greater act of magic than that which creates harmony and cohesion between the different aspects of man?
From a historical point of view, we can affirm that yoga is as old as humanity itself. The first signs of this ancient wisdom were found more than five thousand years ago, in Vedic India, "Bhāratavarṣa," in the Indian subcontinent.
Some of the earliest pieces of evidence concerning yoga were found in archeological excavations conducted in 1920. These shed some light on an ancient culture that existed in Mohenjo—daro in the Indus Valley. Here, stones depicting Lord Śiva meditating in the lotus posture were found, as well as images of people practicing different āsanas, the postures of haṭha—yoga.
The Sacred Scriptures
The enlightened sages, called rishis, "seers," channeled the eternal transcendental wisdom, serving as real bridges between Humanity and the Divine, between man and the Transcendental. Because of their purity, the ancient sages could easily access the most elevated and subtle planes of consciousness, and to perceive directly the level called veda or knowledge. This great divine wisdom, which was given orally by the sages, was compiled and put into writing by Srila Vyasadeva, the divine literary incarnation.
Hinduism has two authoritative literary sources.
1. Śruti, "what was heard" — the Vedas, the most ancient sacred scriptures, which were revealed directly by God to humanity, and therefore known as apauruṣeya, which means they do not have a human author.
2. Smṛti, "what was remembered", "what was memorized" — these comprise of all the rest of the Vedic literature or, strictly speaking, the entire Hindu tradition. The smritis include the Dharma Shastras, "Books of laws"; the itihasas, "epics"; the puranas, "historical books"; the Agamas, and the Darshanas.
The Vedas
One of the original names of Hinduism is Vaidika—dharma, meaning, the religion of the Vedas or wisdom. The Vedas are respected, reverenced, and accepted as sacred and infallible by all Hindus. They are eternal; hence, it is impossible to talk about a beginning in time.
The entire life of the Vedic society, including both politics and spirituality, gathered around these scriptures, which are true literary monuments of this culture. More than religious texts, they are a true encyclopedia of knowledge, encompassing such topics as art, music, astrology, architecture, medicine, and the art of war. The Vedas are considered to be a vast archive of human knowledge.
Originally the Veda was one, but later it was divided into four texts: the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sāma Veda, and Atharva Veda.
The Ṛg Veda or the Veda of Verses is the principal and most ancient. Containing 10,589 verses and comprising of 1,028 shuktas, "hymns", ordered in ten maṇḍalas, "books"; it is dedicated to Indra, Agni and various other gods. A person who chants these hymns is called a hotri. It is estimated that the Ṛg Veda has been written between 4,000 and 2,500 B.C.
The name Yajur Veda comes from the term yajus or sacrifice; this Veda is aimed to support the needs of the Vedic ceremonies and rituals. The text deals with liturgy and the mechanics of the rituals. It contains 1,975 verses, arranged in 40 chapters, of verse and prose, and is recited by an adhvaryu. After many redactions, there are currently five known versions. The first four of these form the Krishna Yajur Veda, or the Black Yajur Veda, and the fifth is the Shukla Yajur Veda, or the White Yajur Veda.
The Sama Veda is the Veda of the Melodies; it is a compilation of 1,549 hymns meant to be used as textbooks for the priests who administers the Vedic sacrifices. It consists mainly of chants and devotional melodies, recited by the udgatr. It is closely related to the Rig Veda, from which it borrows many verses, especially from the eighth and ninth volumes.
The Atharva Veda, which contains 731 slokas, gives the impression to be independent from the three principal orthodox Vedas, as though it belonged to a different, yet parallel, tradition. It deals with various themes, mostly domestic, and contains a great assortment of hymns and mantras to promote good health and longevity. This Veda represents the religion of the laymen rather than the priesthood.
Each of the four Vedas consist of four parts: the Mantra Samhita or hymns, the Brahmanas or explanations about the mantras and rites, the Arnyakas or "forest books" that consist of interpretations of the rites, and the Upanishads which refer to the wisdom of Being.
The material of the Vedas is divided into:
1. Karma kanda — deals with rituals and sacrifices, and is found both in the samhitas, which are hymns glorifying different Gods in order to achieve material prosperity, and in the brahmanas, which contain descriptions about the performance of various rituals, prayers and offerings one should carry out in certain stages of life.
2. Upasana kanda — deals with worship, and studied in the aranyakas, where it cites knowledge about meditation, yoga and the esoteric aspect of the rites.
3. Jnana kanda — laid out in the Upanishads, it deals with the most elevated wisdom.
The Classic Six Darśanas
From the Vedas, within the abode of the Sanātana—dharma religion, different metaphysical schools were formed, which were classified into six orthodox lines. These are called āstikas or darśanas, meaning "visions" or "points of view". From this, we can comprehend that different experiences do not necessarily have to be in contradiction or conflict with one another, but rather, they can complement each other.
Even though the Truth is one, it can be viewed from different viewpoints and angles, each equally deserving of our respect and appreciation. The lights of two candles do not cancel each other, but by union, produce an even greater light. Actually, the Vedic darśanas are a perfect example of the unity in diversity that is advocated in Hinduism, a religion characterized by its vastness of opinions, universality and respect for differences.
As history unfolded and the philosophies developed, differences, negations, and conflicts developed from the interactions between the different schools. Yet each system does not necessarily represent the destruction and obliteration of the other, but instead forms part of an evolutionary process. The system that criticizes another maintains the criticized within it. It absorbs it, and through this intelligent manner of integration, enriches its own opinion of the Truth.
The word darśana comes from the Sanskrit root dṛś, which means "to look" or "to observe". This implies that Hindu philosophical systems are not different doctrines or theories created by intellectual speculations, but metaphysical truths, or realizations, directly observed by enlightened sages, known as ṛṣis or seers.
The six classic darśanas are:
1. Pūrva Mīmāṁ sā or Karma Mīmāṁ sā of Jaimini
This system originates with the sage Jaimini. It consists of rituals to calm and pacify different gods, which are performed in order to reach the celestial plane. According to this line, worship provides certain results.
2. Uttara Mīmāṁ sā of Śrīla Vyāsadeva
This school is directly interested in Brahman. It is the basis of jñāna—yoga, as it ascertains very clearly what would later be established so brilliantly by the great Śańkarācārya in his famous phrase, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā or "Brahman is the only Reality; this world is false and illusory".
3. Sāńkhya of Kapila Ṛṣi
This system, founded by the sage Kapila Ṛṣi, is the most ancient. The Sanskrit word sāńkhya means "calculation" or "enumeration". This system is dualistic, for it presents a separation between matter, or prakṛti, and spirit, or Puruṣa. This school presents a message that can be synthesized in one word which is inherent to the very idea of enumeration: observation.
4. Yoga of Patañjali Maharṣi
Patañjali Maharṣi brilliantly espoused this system in his book, The Yoga—sūtras, which is the most basic and essential text of this system. It deals especially with the mind and its activity, knowing the mind to be the very basis of illusion, or māyā, and the ego itself. Yoga is a system totally dedicated to bringing Hinduism to the realm of practice, thus, existentially fulfilling the integral transformation to which it refers.
5. Vaiśeṣika of Kaṇāda
The origin and development of this system is attributed to Kaṇāda. In this system nature is being studied, from an atomistic point of view.
6. Nyāya of Gautama Ṛṣi
Gautama Ṛṣi can be considered, very rightfully, the Vedic Aristotle. This is a school that analyzes reasoning and discursive logic. It is characterized by its psychological theory and the importance given to logic. According to this system, God, or Īśvara, is the creator of the universe.
In the same way that America existed before it was discovered, the darśanas and Hinduism were not inventions. Unlike other religions that started the moment that a prophet or messenger appeared from heavens, the Sanātana—dharma religion or the eternal religion is not a discovery of the ancient ṛṣis. Its existence is, as the name indicates, eternal.
Yoga
The word yoga comes from the ancient language of Sanskrit, written in devanāgarī, or the "script of the gods", in which the Vedas, the most ancient scriptures known to mankind, were composed.
The meaning of the term yoga is "union"; however, it should be understood to imply a certain harmony or cohesion within a holistic vision of man, the world, the universe, and life. The verbal root of the Sanskrit word yoga is yuj, which means "joining, gathering, uniting, or harmonizing". The simplicity of the term opens a multitude of different meanings, each including a profound message. Yoga points toward a union, which implies a division.
We are a division... we live as discrete parts, not as the totality that we really are...
Modern man suffers from imbalance; he lives in a society rich with comforts, but distant from its origins. In his efforts to dominate everything and everyone, he declares himself the master of nature and conqueror of space, but at the very moment that he assumes the title of ruler over nature, he forgets that what he is made of is nature itself.
Rather than fighting and striving to adapt nature to his needs by way of technological efforts, man should invest his efforts and abilities to adapt himself. Man forgets that anyone who alters the cosmic order and violates dharma will be affected, sooner or later. Damage to nature is damage to himself.
When man harms the forests, the sources of water and the ozone layer, he harms himself. He creates disequilibrium in his cosmic body, which is inseparable from his own. Man interprets his body as an organism because he sees that a mutual dependency exists between the brain and the kidneys, between the heart and the lungs. Yet he forgets that there is also a mutual dependency between his body and oxygen, water, food, and everything that exists in this planet. He forgets that it is his house, and every day he disconnects more from it.
He also forgets that the planet Earth, the Sun, and the other planets that form the Solar System, which itself is an inseparable part of the Galaxy, are all interdependent. The human being has not reached sufficient maturity to see himself and the cosmic manifestation as one great organism.
For example, the effects of global warming are more evident each day. Our generation must decide between maturing, thereby accepting that we are not separate entities from the universe and nature, and live accordingly, or witness our own extinction.
Yoga is an invitation to situate ourselves in our original position, in the harmony and equilibrium of cosmic intelligence, which is expressed in the cell's nucleus, in the trees, fish, insects, bees, birds, animals, planets, and galaxies. The human being is the only creature upon this Earth that forgets the connection, and by separating himself, he violates the equilibrium and the cosmic order. Man alone can be foolish; you would never see a dim flower, a stupid ant, or an idiotic bird. Only the history of mankind is the history of folly....
Although the jump from the instinctive to the Divine is essential and indispensable, and it is the true evolution, it will necessarily bring about human stupidity and foolishness. This jump, however, is not an indication of development, but a symptom of having distanced ourselves from the animal....
Moving further away from the instinct does not make us only humans, but also fools. That blessed stupidity is nothing but the astonishment of finding ourselves suspended between the Divine and the animal... between beast and God.... The human being is not something consistent. Because, even though he ceased to be a simple animal, he is not yet what he can be. He has still not expressed his maximum potential. The human being is a process that begins in the instinctive and moves through the intellectual toward the Divine — from the animal toward the Celestial....
There is something in common between the enlightened one and the animal, in that both act according to their nature. The enlightened being is conscious of what he is, as he is; the beast is the only thing it can be....
Yoga is creating the conditions that produce a harmony with the incessant flow of life, existence, and Reality; an optimal state where the reunion with the natural and universal intelligence can occur. This union is not a new state but a return to our original state. It is returning to our authenticity, our simplicity, and our innocence... it is to be what we always have been... new, is the consciousness of really knowing it....
When we speak of yoga, more than a union between two, we are speaking of the consciousness that one can never separate from what one is, and that such a dichotomy is just illusion or māyā....
Yoga and Religion
The Sanskrit word yoga and the term religion have a lot in common as the latter term comes from the Latin verb religare, which is made from re, "anew," and ligare "bind, unite, tie up". Therefore, religion means "to re—bind" or "reunite".
The similarity between these terms is evident. It is true that certain aspects of yoga, especially haṭha—yoga, can become part of a person's life without necessarily requiring a change in religion. A person can stand on his head, breathe deeply, and relax his body, regardless of whether he is Jewish or Christian or even if he is an atheist.
However, hiding the cultural and religious roots of this wisdom would be dishonest. I deem it unethical to trim yoga down to a purely physical aspect and deny its spiritual origins, which explicitly lead into Hinduism, the Vedic religion, and include yoga as one of its six darśanas, the principle orthodox schools.
Yoga and Philosophy
At times I am asked if yoga is a philosophy, and I answer with a yes and a no....
Yes, in the sense that undoubtedly, the ancient ṛṣis, the Vedic seers, developed one of the most incredible philosophies known to humanity. Yet, at the same time, no, because yoga is not a philosophy in the sense that it is not a theme to talk about, discuss, and dwell on in lengthy intellectual speculation. Yoga is not a question of information, but of transformation....
The objective of yoga is not to change or expand the warehouses of our "well—documented ignorance", but to change our lives. Yoga is to create a space within us... letting the pure consciousness flow from every expression, every movement, look, feeling, or word....
In fact, any conscious intention to shift from the animal toward the Divine, from the beast toward the Transcendental in you, is yoga....