Eightfold Path of Yoga

The Eight – Fold Path of Yoga :: 139

33The Eight – Fold Path of Yoga

33.1 Introduction

Some six thousands year back, our forefathers discovered the science of Yoga. Abouttwo thousand years back (300 hundred years B.C.) a Rishi – sage called Patanjali compiledall knowledge about Yoga in a concise form. He organized this knowledge methodicallyand made a book of it.

The book of Patanjali studies the nature of human mind and its different operations. Itanalyses the causes of its turbulence and suggests the ways of organizing it systematicallyand concentrating it. It also tells us how to replace the negative reactions by positive andhealthy responses to the situations. Ultimately the book enlightens us on how to reach thestate of oneness with the Energy or Supreme consciousness that pervades the universe.Weare studying the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as a part of our study of Psychology becausethey are directly related with our physical and intellectual development.

33.2 Objectives

After reading this lesson you will be able to

• explain the Yoga Sutras ;

• list the eight steps of Yoga given by Patanjali ;

• elaborate five Yamas and Niyamas ;

• analyse how observing Yamas and Niyamas helps in our daily life.

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33.3 The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Sutras are like formulae which are brief statements of the theories or facts. The book ofYoga Sutras contains 196 Sutras. The book is divided in four parts. The first part speaksabout what is Yoga and what is to be achieved through Yoga. It also deals with states ofmind how to control the mind. The second part deals with the eight-fold path of Yoga. Italso tells you about the obstacles in the path and how to overcome them. The third partelaborates the amazing effects of Yoga on human body, mind and intellect. It gives thenature of super powers that can be achieved through Yoga. The fourth part describes theperson who has achieved the ultimate goal of Yoga and gives finer descriptions of thestages through which a person reaches the stage of union with God.

All these four parts are comprised of Sutras. Sutra is the briefest statement of a principle,a fact or a thought almost like a formula in science or mathematics which help us rememberthe contents of the subject. Patanjali has capsuled all Yogic wisdom of our forefathers inthe form of Sutras. His book of sutras is the universally accepted treatise on Yoga. In thesecond part of Patanjali’s book the eight-fold path of Yoga has been given. The first twosteps in the eight fold path tell us the rules and attitudes we should have as guides our life.There is no use to gather milk in a bucket if the bucket has holes in it. In the same waypractise of Yoga doesn’t have meaning if we do not observe the dos and don’ts given bythe sages. The next three steps cover the process of harnessing our Pranic energy(Pranayama) and finally by withdrawing energy from the senses (Pratyahara). This leadsto state of complete concentration i.e. Dharana. When we hold this state of completeconcentration, we become one with God. Our concsiousness merges with all creation,and this stage is known as Samadhi.

In Yoga Sutras, mental faculties are grouped under four heading according to their functions

1. Mana2. Buddhi3. Ahankar4. Chitta

These our are together are called Antahkaran. Mana or Mind makes sankalp (I’ll do this)and Vikalp (What. If this does not work?) Budhi or Intellect makes decision in the light ofprevious knowledge and wisdom. Ahankar or ego is the center around which all emotion,memories and thoughts are organized Chitta is that consciousness on which the waves andripples of various reactions are generated. In Yoga, mind has a specific function of –sankalpa and vikalpa and chitta or consciousness is seen as the birth plae of all mentalreactions.


INTEXT QUESTIONS 33.1

State whether the following statemens as True or False :

1. The period of Sage Patanjali was two thousand and years back.2. Sutras are detailed statements.3. The second part of the Yoga Sutra elaboratesthe amazing effects of Yoga on

body.4. The book of Yoga Sutra contains 196 Sutras.5. In the state of Samadhi, our consciousness merges with all creation.

33.4 Ever-changing States of Mind

Our mind is found in the following ever-changing states:

1) Kshipt : Most of the time our mind is thrown out to some object of interest in theprocess of experiencing the world. Such totally outgoing mind is called as Kshipt(Literally-thrown out).

2) Vikshipt : Our consciousness or awareness sometimes goes outward and witheffort, in turns inside. But again it goes out. So, in Vikshipt state our mind plays ‘inand out’.

3) Moodha : When the faculties of our awareness are not alert, it is clouded andappears to be non-functioning. This state is Moodha. A person out of his mind, incoma or in a fit has Moodha mind.

4) Ekagra : While practicing Yoga, you learn to concentrate your awareness on aparticular object. Here the state of consciousness is Ekagra which is very useful forday-to-day functioning and for higher goals. When mind becomes Ekagra, it ismajor achievmenet.

Relatively Steady States of Mind

Besides the everchanging states of consciousness, there are some relatively steady andregular states as well.

1. Jagriti : Full awareness with conscience (Vivek) active all the time.2. Swapna : A state of dream where some people play wish fulfillment game.3. Sushupti : Deep dreamless sleep.4. Tureeya : Besides these three relatively steady states of consciousness there is

one more state called Tureeya where, in deep mediation, a person becomesoblivious of space and time. Suppose he sits for meditation and enters Tureeyalevel of consciousness, he will not know where he is sitting or how long he issitting. But during that period, his sonsciousness becomes one with the divine oruniversal consciousness. As a result of that he receives energies unheart of. If he

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learns to get into this kind of consciousness and to be there steady for sometime.Then the level of consciousness at which he usually functions undergoes significantchange.

33.6 Steps in Yoga

There are eight steps that you have to follow if you want to reach the goal of yoga, Sothese steps are called eight fold pat of Yoga. Following are the eight steps of Yoga andtheir brief descriptions.

1. Yamas : Yamas are five rules of behaviour which purify one’s mind and behaviour.They also have social relevance.

(i) The first Yama is Ahimsa i.e. not to hurt anyone including animals, plants and the socalled non-living being like things you use. You must learn to respect everyone and everythingaround you. Jainism and Buddhism give great importance to Ahimsa. Mahatma Gandhiwas a worshipper of Ahimsa. Angulimal – a seasoned murderer underwent magicaltransformation when he came in contact with Buddha. Christ, when he was crucified, said,‘God forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.’ Only brave people canobserve Ahimsa. Cowards can not practice it.

(ii) The second Yama is Satya i.e. to speak truth. We should mean what we say. Ourwords should be gentre and free from deception. They should be uttered with the desire todo good to others. We see many types of deception in society. It takes the form of corruptionand adulteration. Malpractices in Medicine can cause deaths of innocent people. Sellingthe secrets of our country to enemy countries – all these are the forms of Asatya behaviour.It is socially harmful and indidually dangerous to one’s integrity. So all Asatya – in speechand behaviour is to be avoided.

(iii) The third yama is Asteya i.e. not to steal. Some times there is temptation to grabmoney which does not belong to you. There is tendancy in some people to take bribes.They take money for what they are already paid. Some people steal credit of others,happiness of others. All this is Steya i.e. theft. To keep away from all these temptations isAsteya or non stealing. Sometimes one tends to steal the credit of the other person. Asenior research officer takes the credit of the discovery made by his junior researcher.That also is Steya. To give everyone his or her due share of credit is also Asteya. WhenVikram Sarabhai space center sent a satellite in space, the whole world congratulated theleader. But he gratefully recognized the indebtedness to the last man on the ladder. That isAsteya.

(iv) The fourth Yama is Brahmacharya i.e. As there are emptations of money, there aretemptations of indulging into joys related to opposite sex. Wasting time in seeing provocativemovies, thinking of and dreaming about opposite sex by dresses, talk and behaviourconsumes a lot of one’s energy. In fact this energy can be fruitfully used for one’s personalitydevelopment i.e. development of one’s physical prowess and mental faculties. This is


Brahmacharya. This way you channelize your energy for individually satisfying and sociallyuseful purposes.Marriage and householder’s life can be equally pure if its sanctity is taken care of . Husbandand wife should be loyal to each other. Thoughtless sex can invite incurable diseases likeAIDS and some youths in our country are falling prey to this dreadful disease.So, sage Patanjali very rightly emphasizes the importance of Brahmacharya – restraint insex behaviour.(v) The fifth yama is Aparigraha i.e. keeping away from receiving money or things frompeople. All kinds of receiving limits your freedom, you become obliged to those who giveyou money or things, even emotional support. There is nothing wrong in healthy giving andreceiving but when receiving makes you obliged to please the giver then it soils your soul.Aparigraha also means not to store more than what you need, because by doing that youmay be depriving those who are in genuine need of the object.We often see that grocers hoard sugar, oil and other eatables and sell them at high costwhen a festival approaches. He certainly has his fair share. But unfair hoarding is againstAparigraha. At the time of natural calamities helps pours in from all directions. But it hardlyreaches the grassroot level. But there are generous souls who are ready to spend the lastPaisa in their hands for the calamity-stricken. This is Aparigraha


Match the following :1. Satya (a) Restrain on sex-desire2. Asteya (b) Non-violence3. Aparigraha (c) Truth4. Ahimsa (d) Non-hoarding5. Brahmcharya (e) Non-stealing

2. Niyamas : Niyamas are mainly for purifying the body and mind. They are practiced onindividual basis. The first Niyama is Shauch i.e. keeping your body and mind clean.Tkaning bath everyday, cleaning your teeth, drinking pure water helps you keep yourbody clean. Healthy food including grains, fresh green vegetables provide all the necessaryingradients like starch, fats, vitamins, salts and minerals give stamina and strength to yourbody. So Yoga advises to each healthy food. It also expects you to be regular in your toilethabits so that your body is free of toxins (harmfull substances).

Shauch also means purity of mind. Our sages have recognized six enemies that make ourminds impure. Kama – excessive desire, Krodha – anger, Lobha – greed, Moha –temptation, Meda – ego, Matsar – jealousy. Shauch means keeping away from these sixenemiesand filling one’s mind whith noble thoughts.

The second Niyama is Santosh which means contentment. You should do your best in

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every undertaking and be happy with that. There are certain factors which are beyondyour control so if you achieve the expected success, that is fine and if you do not achievethe expected success that also is fine. Joy is in doing thework itself and not in its outer fruit.Inner fruit is Santosh.

When Geeta says deZ.;sokfèkdkjLrs ek Qys"kq dnkpuA it means the same. The inner fruit,Santosh is always ours. We should not expect the outer fruit. Suppose you are are playinga match with a strong team. You do your level best but lose the game. Be sport andcongratulate the captain of the other team. A real winner never loses. It is the winning spiritthat matters. The heart which is full of hope is the contented heart. It knows to strive hardbut its joy does not rest in the result of the game.

The third Niyama is Tapa. The literal meaning of Tapa is penance. When our examsapproach we generally give up seeing movies and T.V. We do not waste time in chattingwith friends. To achieve a goal we have to make hard effort, and give up certain pleasures.This is Tapa. While treading the path of Yoga we have to control our desires and concentrateour mind on the Yogic practices which is Tapa. Geeta recognizes three types of Tapa.

(1) Kayik Tapa : The Tapa we do with our body. Fasting is basically is Kayik Tapa.Regular exercise is also Kayik Tapa.

(2) Vachik Tapa : Here we control our speech, we do not talk unnecessarily, and donot use language in a wrong way. We speak truth and the expression of truth isgentle.

(3) Manasik Tapa : This Tapa is for purification of mind. Our mind gets clouded bynegative, depressing thoughts. They have a weakening effect on mind. Selfishnessmakes mind narrow. Only noble thoughts can purify and strengthen the mind. Keepingaway negative and narrow thoughts and learning to see the whole world as ourfamily is Manasik Tapa.

The forth Niyama is Swadhyayay which literally means self-study. Here it means studyingthe principles related to Yoga. If we do not understand it all by ourself, we may seekguidance from experts. Swadhyaya not only means reading literature related to Yoga butalso includes contemplating on the principles of Yoga and go into the depths of their meaning.Unless we engage with learning and Yogic experiencing, we will not be able to understandit.

The fifth and the last Niyama is Ishwar Pranidhan which means being in constant contactwith God by chanting or by keeping in mind all the time that this whole creation – everythingwe see is created by God. Everything we do is the worship of the Lord. Lord is thewitness of everything we see, do and experience. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when he wouldsee ocean, would start dancing with joy saying that the blue waters of the ocean depictedhis Lord Krishna.


3. Asana : Sage Patanjali defines Asana as that posture in which we can sit comfortablyfor the Yogic practices, with our head, neck and back in a straight line. Since Yoga isvitally related to our nervous system, our spinal chord should be in the right position.Squatting on a mat or sitting on your knees usually prescribed for yogic practice (Sukhasan,Sahajasan or Vajrasan)

The yogic tradition gives us 84 Asanas to keep our body and nerves supple. Yoga seesbody as an instrument to achieve union with God. As we take care of our vehicles andinstruments, so we must take care of body. We must give it proper exercise. Hence theneed to do Asanas They build our resistance to diseases and keep us fit.

4. Pranayama : Pranayama is getting control on our Pranic energy through the control onour breathing. Inhaling air is called as Poorak in Yoga. Exhaling air out is called asRechak. Stopping for a few seconds before exhalation is called internal Kumbhak andstopping after exhalation is called external Kumbhak. Kumbhak should not be done formore than five seconds. Pranayama should be done under expert guidance. Otherwise,instead of being useful, it can become harmful.

Alongwith air we also take in the vital energy in the atmosphere which is cealled Prana orthe life-force, Breathing rhythmically improves your blood circulation and circulation ofPranic or vital energy in our body.

5. Pratyahara : Pratyahara literally means withdrawing. In Pratyahara we withdraw thesenses from their external objects and turn them inward. We have five main senses whichare sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Our eyes see, our nose smells, our ears hear, ourskin touches and our tongue tastes. Visible things are sense objects for eyes. Fragrantthings are objects for nose. Sounds are sense objects for ears, soft, hard and other materialsare for skin and different tastes are for tongue. In Yoga we train our sense organs to remainquiet without outer stimulation.Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam and Pratyahara are calledexternal aids to Yoga. For the next steps you have go still deeper. So they are called asinternal aids.

6. Dharana : Dharana is focusing of mind on a particular object. The object may be apart of our body like the midpoint of our eye-brows or it may be outside our body like aflame of a candle or moon or an image of the Lord or a saint. Our attention should befocused on either internal or external object. This practice improves concentration whichhelps in studies and also helps in improving our memory.

7. Dhyana : When one learns to maintain Dharana or attention on a single object forrelatively longer periods, that steady contemplation is called Dhyana or meditation. InDhyana, we are aware that we are a witness to what is happening in our mind. But we arenot emotionally or intellectually involved in what our mind is doing.This is also calledMeditation.

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8. Samadhi : In Samadhi, the mind is so deeply absorbed in the object of contemplationthat it loses itself in the object and has no awareness of itself. Only when one comes out ofSamadhi one realizes that it was a state of Samadhi where sense of time and place wastotally absent.

A person who progresses along this eight-fold path of Yoga successfully and becomes onewith the supreme reality becomes an evolved kind of human being. He or she is free fromanger, lust and other vices. S/he becomes a lover of the entire humanity.S/he does his/herown duty with great excellence but is not at all proud of his/her achievements. S/he becomesan instrument in the hands of the Lord.This eight fold path is not for a chosen few. Everybodycan tread on it and sooner or later he or she can reach the ultimate goal of Yoga that isunion with God or the supreme energy that mobilizes us and the cosmos.


Match the following

1. Contentment (a) Ishwarpranidhan

2. Purity (b) Shauch

3. Self Study (c) Tapa

4. Penance (d) Santosh

5. Constant contact with God (e) Swadhyaya

33.7 What you have learnt

Sage Patanjali defines Yoga as that state of consiousness where there are no ripples ofthoughts or emotions. In this state your little mind becomes one with the universal mind.Ptanjali compiled all knowledge of Yoga in consise form. In 196 Sutras, he explained thenature of mental faculties and eight-fold path of Yoga.

The eight-fold Path is as follows :

1) Yamas : Attitudes and rules for Yogic life in social context.

2) Niyamas : Attitudes and rules for individual purity.

3) Asana : Right posture for meditation.

4) Pranayama : Controlling the in going and out goind pranic energy throughbreathing.

5) Pratyahara : Shutting down the sense telephones and withdrawing inside.

6) Dharana : Concentration on a particular object.


7) Dhyan : Staying there for a long time.

8) Samadhi : Being one with the object of meditation.

This is the process of purification. In pure consiousness God is reflected. When this happensthere is a great change in one’s life. Like Shri Ramkrishna Paramhansa, he is all the time incommunion with God. In this state he enjoys supreme joy and becomes an epitome of alldevine qualities like love, compassion etc.

Swami Ramateerth was a young Yogi. Once, while abroad, he saw people participating ina marathon race. He too took part in marathon, reached the destination first and won therace. The surprised lot asked him, ‘How did you manage such a feat? Did you practicevery hard?’ When you practice Yoga, you get martery on you body and mind. Then,nothing is impossible for you.’

33.8 Terminal Exercise

1. Which are the relatively steady states of mind?

2. Describe Niyama.

3.Explain the types of tapa.

33.9 Key to Intext Questions

33.1

1.False

2.False

3.False

4.True

5.True

33.2

1. c.

2. e.

3. d.

4. b.

5. a

Eightfold Path of Yoga

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