YOGA
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
1. There is within each individual a spark of the divine, call it the Atman, the soul, the Bothichitta or by whatever name. It is this spark that energizes human consciousness ———- Every individual has a unique value because he represents a special correlation of forces revolving around a spiritual core of which he may or may not be conscious. Yoga helps us join this inner spiritual core with the all-pervading divine.
2. Four main paths of yoga are identifiable; the yoga of wisdom or Jnana yoga, of love or Bhakti, of work or Karma and of psycho-spiritual disciplines or Raja yoga.
3. Jnana yoga involves intellectual discrimination between the real and the unreal, to access reality that lies behind the manifested universe. It is somewhat like the concept of Plato who said that all we see are shadows of reality thrown on the wall of the cave while remaining unaware both of the actual figures and the light that shines on them from behind. This yoga is a movement into a new dimension of awareness in which we see the unity behind the diversity of the world around us. This vision ofoneness—which the Upanishads call Ekatvam’—transforms the ordinary human being into a seer, one who sees the integral unity behind the multifarious and bewildering multiplicity of our daily existence. Sri Ramana Maharishi was a jnana yogi.
4. If jnana yoga is the way of the refined intellect, bhakti yoga is the way of the heart lit by love and adoration of a personalised aspect of the divine The opening of the heart centre is one of the most powerful methodologies for achieving direct contact with the divine
5. Karma yoga’s aspects have been expounded in the ‘Gila’. The act we must, whether it is the subconscious activities within our bodies or the conscious acts that we perform in our daily lives. Without such action, human civilisation itself would never have developed. But the major question is as to how these actions can be reconciled with the spiritual quest. Karma yoga addresses this concept. Every action that we undertake, big or small, must be dedicated to one’s chosen divinity. Every act becomes worship. Rather than being obsessed with the results, we must act from what we consider to be the highest level of our consciousness, inwardly dedicate that act of the divine and leave the results to unfold as they may.
6. Actions flowing from hatred and fanaticism, cruelty and exploitation, can never be considered karma yoga because by definition they are incapable of being offered to the divine. Again good deeds by themselves, while preferable, do not constitute karma yoga unless there is a clear and unequivocal dedication to one’s chosen deity. Swami Vivekananda and Mother Teresa were Karma Yogis.
7. Raja yoga is the royal path which involves psycho-spiritual practices including physical and breathing exercises that are known as yoga around the world. But only if they are directed ultimately beyond these to the quickening of spiritual consciousness. The basic theory revolves around the existence of a self-conscious spiritual power that is located at the base of the spine. With discipline and practice, this power can start to move up the spine, energising, as it rises, seven chakras or plexuses, which bring about incremental transmutation of consciousness, until finally the blazing light of this power—the Kundalini, the serpent power—pours into the cortex thus completing the process of spiritual transmutation. These four yogas are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the questions given below with the help of options that follow:
(a) The yoga that involves psycho-spiritual discipline is also known as
(i) Bhakti yoga (ii) Jnana yoga
(iii) Karma yoga (iv) Raj yog
(b) Yoga is an important discipline because of it
(i) helps us to realize God
(ii) energizes human consciousness
(iii) connects the inner soul of an individual with the divine
(iv) has four paths that one can follow
(c) Ekatvam is the principle that
(i) helps a seeker discern the unity behind the diversity of the world
(ii) is required to transform an ordinary being into a seer
(iii) turned Sri Ramana Maharshi into a jnana yogi
(iv) takes us into a new dimension of awareness
(d) Bhakti yog can be defined as the path which is
(i) followed by those with a refined intellect
(ii) the path of love and adoration to a personal deity
(iii) a direct and peaceful way of knowing oneself
(iv) followed by doing every action as a form of worship
Answer the following questions briefly in your own words:
(e) What is the main feature of Karmyog?
(f) Why can mean and selfish acts not be a part of Karmyog?
(g) Why are Swami Vivekanand and Mother Teresa considered as Karm yogis?
(h) Which yoga is responsible for the movement of the Kundalini?
(i) How does one awaken the Kundalini?
(j) Where does the Kundalini arise from and where does it travel to?
(k) Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following:
(i) fixated ( para 5)
(ii) change/alteration (para 7)
ANSWERS:-
(a) (iv); (b) (iii);
(c) (i); (d) (ii)
(e) The main feature of KarmYog is that every action should be dedicated to the chosen deity, and we should not be concerned only about the results.
(f) According to KarmYog, our actions should be a form of worship. Mean and selfish acts cannot be part of KarmYog because we cannot offer such actions to the divine.
(g) They are considered as Karm Yogis because for them, performing good actions to help others was an integral part of their religious beliefs. They dedicated their actions to their deities.
(h) Raja Yoga is responsible for the movement of the kundalini.
(i) The Kundalini spiritual power is located at the base of the spine and can be awoken through discipline and practice.
(j) The Kundalini arises from the base of the spine, and moves up the spine, into the brain’s cortex.
(k) (i) obsessed; (ii) transmutation
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