Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita means “The Song of the Blessed One.” No one knows when it was written; some scholars date it as early as fifth century B.C.E, others as late as the first century C.E. But there is general scholarly consensus that in its original form it was an independent poem, which was later inserted into its present context, Book Six of India’s national epic, the Mahabharata.
The Mahabharata is a very long poem—eight times the length of the Illiad land the Odyssey combined—that tells the story of a war between the two clans of a royal family in northern India. One clan is the Pandavas, who are portrayed as paragons of virtue; they are led by Arjuna, the hero of the Gita, and his four brothers. Opposing them are the forces of the Kauravas, their evil conusins, the hundred sons of the blind King Dhritarashtra. At the conclusion of the epic, the capital city lies in ruins and almost all the combatants have been killed.
The Gita takes place on the battle field of Kuru at the beginning of the war. Arjuna has his charioteer, Krishna (who turns out to God incarnate), drive him into the open space between the two armies, where he surveys the combatants. Overwhelmed with dread and pity at the imminent death of so many brave warriors—brothers, cousins, and kinsmen—he drops his weapons and refuses to fight. This is the cue for Krishna to begin his teaching about life an deathlessness, duty, nonattachment, the Self, love spiritual practice, and the inconceivable depths of reality. The Gita, consisted with the eighteen chapters, is a “wondrous dialogue” between Krishna, the God incarnate, and Arjuna, the symbol of a true devotee. However it really is a monologue, much of it wondrous indeed, which often keeps us dazzled and asking for more, as Arjuna does;
“For I never tire of hearing your life-giving, honey-sweet words. (10.18)”
Yoga and Pantanjali Yoga Sutra
1. “Yoga” means “union” or “bring together”. It is a discipline that brings together of body, mind and spirit. Yoga is a powerful means of physiological, psychological and spiritual integration. It makes you aware that you’re part of a larger whole, not merely an island unto yourself. Humans can’t thrive in isolation. Even the most independent individual is indebted to others. Once the body and mind are happily reunited, this union with others comes about naturally.
The moral principles of Yoga are all embracing, encouraging you to seek kinship with everyone and everything. Yoga originated 5,000 or so years ago in India. It only reached the shores of Europe and America a hundred years ago. But the modern Yoga boom didn’t start until the 1960s. In Asia, it is not until 1990s. In Malaysia, it is only last few years. What is popular as “Yoga” throughout the world as it is today, it refers mostly to “Hatha” Yoga.
Hatha Yoga: “Ha” means “sun”, “tha” means “moon”. It starts with the two physical aspects of Yoga, Asana (physical postures) and Pranayam (breathing exercises).
The physical postures and breathing exercises of Hatha Yoga bring harmony, balance and freedom of body. Practicing Hatha Yoga can stabilize and boost one’s vitality and harmonize his emotion, and strengthen the mind.
2. Pantanjali Yoga Sutra, consisted of 196 aphorism (4 chapters), written by a sage Pantanjali some 2,500 years ago, is the most authentically acclaimed and widely translated textbook of Yoga. It describes the means by which Yoga is attained, and the powers that come to the seeker in his quest and the state of absolute liberation. According to Patanjali, there are eight-limbs of Yoga, or Ashtanga Yoga which are designed to lead to enlightenment, or liberation. They are,
1) Yama (The laws of life): Non-violence, Truthfulness, Integrity, Chastity,
Non- attachment.
2) Niyama (The rules for living): Simplicity, Contentment, Purification, Refinement,
Surrender.
3) Asana (The physical postures)
4) Pranayam (Breathing exercises)
5) Pratyahara (The retirement of the senses)
6) Dharana (The steadiness of mind)
7) Dhyana ( Meditation)
8) Samadhi (The settled mind)
The path of Yoga is not liner but rather circular. That is one will arrive to the destination from anywhere he starts the journey, with the eight limbs of yoga, together constituting one body of Yoga.
The first and second limbs, Yama and Niyama, are the inner and our rules of living that which is the behavioral guidelines of yoga practitioners to ensure happiness, harmony and freedom.
The third and fourth limbs, Asana and Pranayam, are the yoga postures and breathing techniques, together constituting Hatha Yoga that which is the most well-known aspect of yoga as is today, almost synonymous with ‘Yoga’ to general public but is only the physical aspect of yoga.
The fifth limb is Pratyahara, that which means ‘sense withdrawal.’ We have five sense faculties—seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. With these, our attentions are always distracted toward without, out of body, thereby leaving us constantly in the state of anxiety, ungroundedness, insecure and fearful. Like tortoise, when we withdraw our senses within, we can discover the inner sanctuary of calmness, peace and joy.
The sixth, seventh and eight limbs are Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi, together known as Raja Yoga, meaning the Royal Path of Yoga or meditation. It is the heart of yoga, more intimate than the proceeding limbs, that which describe the natural and effortless process of our undisturbed awareness flowing one direction to experience ‘the settled mind,’ the state in which we experience ever present awareness to be all embracing, blissful and pure.
