Yoga-sutras (Ancient and Modern Interpretations)
by Makarand Gopal Newalkar | 2017 | 82,851 words | ISBN-13: 9780893890926
Yoga-sutras 3.1 [Dharana—concentration], English translation with modern and ancient interpretation. The Patanjali Yogasutras describe an ancient Indian tradition spanning over 5000 years old dealing with Yoga:—Meditating the mind on the Atma leading to the realization of self. This study interprets the Yogasutras in light of both ancient and modern commentaries (e.g., Vyasa and Osho) while supporting both Sankhya and Vedanta philosophies.
Sūtra 3.1 [Dhāraṇā—concentration]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation of sūtra 3.1 [dhāraṇā—concentration]:
देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा ॥ ३.१ ॥
deśabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā || 3.1 ||
(1) Dhāraṇā is the mind’s (citta’s) fixation on a point in space.
Ancient and Modern interpretation:
The first step in antaraṅgayoga is dhāraṇā (concentration). Vyāsa says[1] dhāraṇā consists in holding or fixing the mind on navel centre or lotus of heart or tip of nose / tongue or effulgent centre of head or such similar spots in the body. Later, Sāṅkhya system started fixing mind on twelve plexuses.
Fixity of mind is of two kinds—
- On knowledge of tattvas;
- On other objects.
Osho defines dhāraṇā as, concentration in confining the mind on the object to be mediatated upon. Osho says[2] dhāraṇā as a way out of misery, which is caused as one is missing his /her own self. Reduce overcrowding of thoughts in your mind and try to focus on one thought. For this he gives different solutions to such sādhaka. In Western world, psychoanalysts help doing this work whereas in the Eastern World Yogī / Masters do this work. He gives example of Buddha’s disciple Sāriputra. When Buddha told him to concentrate on laughter, he found seven different types of laughter, revealing minute details of same. The concentration practices only have developed whole science and scientific invention in the western world. Scientist Louis Pasteur, says that whenever his mind is full of thoughts, he takes his microscope and looks through it and the whole world drops, and he is in concentration. So Osho says, “science can become first step to yoga as concentration is first inner step to yoga ”.
Taimni explains[3] deśabandha confinement within territory which allows limited freedom of movement. Here when irrelevant object enters, dhāraṇā is broken. Thus, the main work of dhāraṇā is keeping mind continuously engrossed with object and bring it back immediately as soon as the connection is broken.
We can have dhāraṇā on the God say, Ganeśa which we pray everyday. Now here all gross level thoughts about his nāmarupa come under vitarka. This is first step of dhāraṇā. Then slowly when sādhaka gets engrossed into these thoughts, his thinking shifts from gross to subtle level of vicāra. Here form of Ganeśa vanishes to nirguṇa, nirākāra and subtle level. Now the citta will be fully occupied with only Ganeśa consciousness and dhāraṇā will be converted to dhyāna.
Footnotes and references:
[3]:
Taimni, op.cit., p. 278