History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.338

v7.c94.338

The Yogasūtras are difficult and do not give complete explanations of the several stages of Yogic practices. They are in the nature of brief notes or hints that are calculated to rouse the curiosity of the hearer or reader and induce him to go to a competent teacher and learn Yoga practices. A few examples may be cited Y S. II 50 refers to three kinds of Prāṇāyāmas, and II. 51 mentions a fourth (bāhyābhyantaraviṣayākṣepī caturthaḥ). There is no further explanation of this 4th variety. In IV. 1 Patañjali lumps together siddhis arising from janma, oṣadhi, mantra, tapas and samādhi There is a vast difference between a siddhi due to a drug and siddhis due to samādhi Patañjali says that Om is the symbol of Īśvara and that repetition thereof and reflection on its meaning is a means of attaining *ekāgratā*, but there is no explanation why Om is expressive of Īśvara nor is any reference made to the Upanisads &c. about the importance of *Om* or how japa is to be performed. This is probably due to the agelong tradition that spiritual knowledge should be kept secret, should not be taught to all and sundry, but only to a disciple possessing certain qualifications. Already on pp. 1071–72 notes 1733, 1734 it has been shown from a few Upanisad quotations how esoteric knowledge was imparted only by a guru to a disciple In the dialogue of Yājñavalkya and Ārtabhāga (Br. Up. III 2. 13), when the latter asked, after saying 'after a man's death his speech enters fire, his breath enters into wind, his eye into the sun, his body into the earth' 'where does then the man remain?' Yājñavalkya replied take my hand, on this matter we two alone must come to some understanding, but not here in the midst of company.' Then the two went aside and conferred with one another. That shows that the knowledge about what happens after death was not held to be a matter proper for being discussed in an assembly of people. The Chāndogya Up. (III. 11. 5) states 'therefore a father may tell that doctrine of Brahma to his eldest son or to a worthy pupil but not to anyone else even if the latter gave him this earth girt by waters (seas) and full of wealth, for this doctrine is worth more than that'. The Br. Up. VI. 3. 12 provides 'one should not speak of it (brahma doctrine) to one who is not his son or pupil'; vide Śv. Up. VI. 22, Maitrāyaṇī Up. VI. 29 for similar words. The Śāntiparva in a chapter dealing with spiritual knowledge provides that it should be imparted to one's dear son and an obedient disciple, but not to one whose mind is not quiescent nor controlled, nor one who is jealous or crooked or a backbiter or a logic-chopper.²⁴⁰² H. Y. P. states 'a Yogin desirous of attaining *siddhi* should keep the knowledge of Hatha as highly secret; it becomes potent if kept secret, but becomes impotent if exposed to all; one should practise yoga alone in the way expounded by the guru'.²⁴⁰³ This applied in ancient times not only to esoteric knowledge but to other scholastic studies. The Nirukta (II. 3) says that it (Nirukta) should not be taught to one who does not know grammar, nor to one who does not approach (the guru) for knowledge or who is not aware of the importance of the śāstra, since an ignorant person always bears ill-will to knowledge; and the Nirukta quotes (II. 4) four verses (called Vidyāsūkta) on this matter.²⁴⁰⁴ In the Bhagavadgītā Kṛṣṇa frequently emphasizes that the knowledge of Bhakti-yoga is a sovereign secret (IX. 2), in XVII. 63 the knowledge conveyed to Arjuna is stated to be more secret than all secrets and in XVIII. 64-65 Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna to listen to the most secret words of his viz. 'fix they mind on Me, be my devotee, offer sacrifice to me, prostrate thyself before me; thou shalt come to me; I promise to thee truly as thou art dear to me'. This last is repeated from IX. 34. At the end of chap. XV it is said 'O blameless one! this most secret doctrine has been expounded by me to you'.