Shyam23
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Mar 3, 2005, 11:32 PM
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The Third Chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Lord Patanjali
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This article is not published on The Loving Heart Centre web site, for the simple reason that most people do not believe in Yoga, and the Yoga Sutras of Lord Patanjali. There is no point in publishing about something that people do not believe in. It would be illogical to do so.
But, amongst the yoga community there may be some of you who do believe in yoga.
This third chapter is all about miracles, or shall we say unusual gifts. Why is this worth making into a crucial Life Issue? Please bear me out. Why was a whole chapter out of only four in such a brief exposition of Yoga devoted to a subject that has no seemingly relevance to modern man and even if it does is not believed?
These days we commonly find Hindus who do not believe in the power of a curse. Rather than believe the ancient scriptures, they prefer to believe in Science, our new God. Similarly we find ‘yogis’ who do not believe in the Word of Lord Patanjali.
OK, so you do not believe, that is your choice. But what if it was crucially important to the lives of your children that you brought them up believing. What would you do, choose your belief or choose the interests of your child?
My first observation, I may upset some of you is that in my view you cannot pick and choose. Either you believe in Hinduism or you do not. The same is true for Yoga. Anyway that is your choice and it is up to you, it is not for me to interfere.
But what about your children? Do they have a right to believe in Hinduism and Yoga, fully, totally? Or do you wish to impose your doubts on them? In my view just as with Father Christmas, one should give children their dreams, and then let them decide at a suitable time what they wish to believe in. They have brains, when they grow up they will soon decide whether they do or do not believe in Father Christmas or in Yoga. If you have not given your child faith and idealism when he or she is young in my view you have not done your job.
But, there is another equally serious issue. Time is running out. The ozone layer is being destroyed, the polar ice caps are melting, society is breaking down. To survive in (30) years’ time, your child may need to be able to live without air, in an unbearably hot atmosphere, under water or with bullets flying randomly as a result of fighting for food by the assorted numerous street gangs. We are seeing the end of the dark age of the world, Kali Yug, and the onset of the brightest age, Satya Yug (the age of truth). But how will your children and theirs survive in such a hostile world? They will need to be proficient in certain powers, such as that of invisibility and others as listed in the Third chapter of The Yoga Sutras of Lord Patanjali, the father of Yoga.
In Satya Yug, only good will prevail. Of course a modern Hindu will say that this is all a fairy tale, there is always argumentation in a marriage, no-one is perfect, Satya Yug will never happen. But, just suppose Hinduism is true and Satya Yug happens sooner than you think. Will you forgive yourself if you did not equip your children with the equipment to be part of this glorious age? Or do you wish to condemn them to XX thousands of years of waiting until the next Kali yug where they are again fit to participate in wrong doing and destruction as in this age?
Lord Patanjali sets out two paths to liberation and union with God. The first is the traditional yoga path, a step by step progression along the eight-fold path. But He himself says that this path is difficult. Every sage and yogi acknowledges this difficulty. And when God says that something is difficult and takes much time, He is not referring to a simple Herculean task. You need luck, God, and 1000 lives before making much progress. That is not to say that you should not start. But your child will have died through lack of air at the end of Kali Yug well before he/she even gets really started on this first yoga path.
As Lord Patanjali clearly states, the quick and easy approach to gain all yoga powers, and liberation, is through the path and act of Isvara Pranidhana, surrender to God. Not surprisingly, since both are the word of God, exactly the same message is contained in for example the Bhagavad Gita. Yoga and Hinduism are not different. They are complementary.
The only people who will survive through the end of Kali Yug and into Satya Yug, are yogis and bhaktans protected by God. How exactly will these advanced yogis be able to walk on air, etc? Do you believe in miracles? Lord Patanjali sets out the meditative practices that you need to adopt once you have surrendered to God in order for God to give you those powers needed to complete your life’s mission.
Well, I am not sure of the exact science behind this. I was brought up with a maths degree in England. You also have the opportunity to surrender to God, the purpose of your and my and your chilfren's existence. I hope this makes it clear why this seemingly esoteric third chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Lord Patanjali are so important for you and your children. Naturally I am not suggesting that you should omit to educate your children in the import of the other chapters either.
The Loving Heart Centre web site contains general advice for all on how to develop love and true love and happiness in your life.
I am starting a new web site for those of you who wish to believe in God, in Yoga and have started to pray to Him.
Your daily prayer ("Sandhya Vanadanam"), if a man needs to be to the Mother Goddess, the aspect of God that created the universe and who prior to the influence of Christian missionaries was worshipped by the peoples of all civilizations across the world, in Russia, in Africa, in America, the people of the whole world worshipped her (with different names). Women need to worship the male aspect of God, in the form for example of Shri Krishna, Shri Rama, but also any of the other male Gods prevalent in the old civilizations of the world prior to the destruction of these civilizations by the Christians.Which male aspect you worship depends on what is natural to you, it depends on the nature of your heart energy centre, the anahata chakra.
I'll post details of how to pray most effectively on The Loving Heart Centre web site, and also let you know when the Bhakti Yoga site is ready for visitors.
The Loving Heart Centre
www.lovingheartcentre.net
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