India has only a few
days back celebrated Government sponsored International Yoga Day to impress
upon people of the World importance of Yoga. But on display everywhere in the
celebration was physical or mental exercises with pomp and show, which have
nothing to do with true spirit of Yoga.
The word Yoga first
appeared in a Vaidic scripture Shreemadbhagawadgeetaa' (popularly known as
Geetaa) wherein Krishna preaches to Arjuna about Yoga on the battle field of
Mahaabhaarata. The Poetess Lakshmee of the scripture has maintained that what
is mentioned about Yoga in the scripture is what was preached to Arjuna by
Yogeshwar Krishna. Hence, there can be no more authentic source for
understanding spirit of Yoga.
In its Chapter 2, the
scripture contains the under-given 6 verses about Yoga, whose meanings in
English follow the poetic matter in Vaidic Sanskrita language -
;ksxLFk%
dq: dekZf.k laxa R;DRok /kuat;A fl);fl)k;ks% leks HkwRok leRoa ;ksx mP;rsAA 48AA
nwjs.k
g~;oja deZ cqf);ksxk)uat;A cq)kS 'kj.kefUoPN d`i.kk% Qygsro%AA 49AA
cqf);qDrks
tgkrhg mHks lqd`rnq"d`rsA rLek|ksxk; ;qToLo ;ksx% deZlq dkS'kye~AA 50AA
deZta
cqf);qDrk fg Qya R;DRok euhf"k.k%A tUecU/kfofueqZDrk ina xPNUR;uke;e~AA 51AA
;nk
rs eksgdfyya cqf)O;Zfrrfj";frA rnk xUrkfl fuosZna JksrO;L; JqrL; pAA 52AA
JqfrfoizfriUuk
rs ;nk LFkkL;fr fu'pykA lek/kkopyk cqf)Lrnk ;ksxeokIL;flAA 53AA
Those established in Yoga perform leaving out consideration
of earning money. What is to be achieved and the achiever becoming one, the
unification is called Yoga. (48)
Those keep away from performing yet focus on
earning money are foolish like Buddha's followers (monks), involving in
ungratefulness for achieving their desired results. (49)
With application of mind, there is no need to
consider whether a deed is easy or difficult to perform, but by fully involving
in performance, which becomes the Yoga of combining skill with the performance.
(50)
Those seeded with performance, such scholars leave
out consideration of results with use of wisdom. Such persons achieve status of
being free from bindings of their birth (with respect to 4 Varnas (classes) -
Braahmana, Vaish, Kshatriya and Shudra) and go on performing without attaching
their name or Varna (class) with the performance. (51)
When wisdom goes across play of attachment to a
particular class, then the person loses sense of the source (inspiration for
performing) and that flows out (performance) of it. (52)
Thus is achieved the state of Shruti which keeps
the performer unwavering in the performance. In such a stable state, mind of
the person is said to be involved in Yoga. (53)
Essence of these the
most authentic statements on Yoga is that involving fully with performing on a
task without any consideration of results is Yoga. This leads to skilful performance
whatever be the nature of the task and class of the performer. In this state,
termed Shruti, the mind of the performer is set in Yoga. Thus Yoga is neither a
physical exercise nor a mental stillness, but doing an undertaken work, whatever
it may be, with full dedication.