Patanjali Yog Sutra Curated
Patanjali Yog Sutra | EP #20 | गुरु का चित्त कैसा?
July 23, 2022
Much has been said about Guru’s Chitta (inner state), and a lot more can be said. Here, Maharishi Patanjali through the Patanjali Yog Sutra, likens Guru’s Chitta to a crystal (स्फटिक) – one that is dense and possesses immense clarity. Such is a Guru’s inner state (दशा) that it captures and embodies anything and everything brought before it.
In Episode 20, Sri Guru clearly elaborates upon this extraordinary crystal-like nature of a Guru.
The teachings of Yoga that had been handed down in an oral tradition over thousands of years from ancient times, are said to have been synthesized and compiled by Maharishi Patanjali in the form of ‘Yog Sutra’— one of the foundational texts of classical Yogic Philosophy. The Patanjali Yog Sutras explain about the अष्टांग योग (Ashtanga Yog) illustrating the 8 Elements for a Holistic Life, i.e. यम (Yama), नियम (Niyam), आसन (Aasana), प्राणायाम (Pranayama), प्रत्याहार (Pratyahara), धारणा (Dharaana), ध्यान (Dhyana), समाधि (Samadhi). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali consist of 196 Sanskrit Sutras organized in 4 Adhyaya (chapters) — समाधिपाद (Samadhipadah), साधनापाद (Saadhanpadah), विभूतिपाद (Vibhutipadah) and कैवल्यपाद (Kaivalyapadah). He defines Yoga as that which restrains the mind-stuff (Chitta) from taking various forms (Vrutti).
At SRM, Sri Guru has always emphasized the subtler spiritual objective of Yoga; hence, the term ‘YogaYog’ was coined— experiencing Union (Yog) through Yoga. Through this Satsang series on the Yog Sutras of Maharishi Patanjali, Sri Guru takes the seekers deeper into the understanding of ‘Union’ through physical, mental, and intellectual evolution.
