2. Various Processes of Yoga Practice

The Yogasūtra, of Patanñjali contains description of eight limbs of Yoga practice known as aṣṭāṅgayoga.^[1] These are:

1. yama,
2. niyama,
3. āsana,
4. prāṇāyāma,
5. pratyāhāra,
6. dhāraṇā,
7. dhyāna and
8. samādhi.

But the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa mentions seven stages of Yoga-practice; viz,

1. vrata (vow),
2. niyama (observance),
3. āsana (posture),
4. prāṇāyāma (breath-control),
5. dhāraṇā (concentration),
6. pratyāhāra (sense-control),
7. dhyāna (meditation).

These stages are discussed below—

1. Varta (vow)

It is said to be five fold, viz, asteya i.e. honesty or non-stealing, brahmacarya i.e. sanctity or celibacy, tyāga i.e. self sacrifice or non attachment, alobha i.e. non covetousness and ahiṃsā i.e. harmlessness.^[2]

These five vartas are said to be the vows of a mendicant. Patanñjali describes the first one is yama i.e. abstentions. yama is said to be five fold, such as—

1. ahiṃsā i.e. non-injury,
2. satya i.e. truth,
3. asteya i.e. non-stealing,
4. brahmacarya i.e. celibacy and
5. aparigraha i.e. non-covetedness.^[3]

2. Niyama (observance)

Niyama means developing good habits. It is also of five types viz, akrodha i.e. Freedom from anger, guruśuśrūṣā i.e. reverence towards gurus or serving the gurus, śauca i.e. purity, āhāralāghava i.e. abstemiousness in intake of less food and nityasvādhyāya i.e. constant self study of the Vedas.^[4] Patañjali describes the second fold is the same i.e. niyama w hich are five in number such as- śauca i.e. purity, santoṣa i.e. contentment, tapas i.e. austerities, svādhyāya i.e. study and iśvarapraṇidhāna i.e. surrender to God.^[5]

3. Āsana (posture)

Generally the word āsana means seat but it is also described, in broad sense, as various bodily postures and holds the body to bring stability to the body and poise to the mind.^[6] Description is also given about how to do āsana. It begins with sitting in padmāsana, ardhāsana or svastikāsana.^[7] After that one can do another āsana for his own choice. Patañjali also simply refers to the comfortable and sound seating posture in his Yogasūtra.^[8] This is work as a physical help to concentration.^[9] These āsanas are physical help to meditation.^[10]

4. Prāṇāyāma (breath-control)

The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa explains briefly about the prānāyama and its various stages. Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa gives more importance to prānāyama. Regulation of breath is called prāṇāyāma.^[11] By controlling the breath, it is said that one can correct the evils springing from the sense organs.^[12] The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa gives importance to prānāyama. One should practice to control the breath i.e. prāṇa by inhalation and exhalation.^[13]

Prāṇāyāma are threefold, viz;

1. laghu (short),
2. madhya (medium) and
3. uttama (long).

The laghu prāṇāyāma is of twelve mātrās,^[14] madhya of twenty-four mātrās and uttama of thirty-six mātrās.^[15] The Yogin overcomes springing perspiration (sveda) with the laghu, tremor (vepathu) with the madhya and dejection (viṣāda) with the uttam a. Closing and opening the eye-lids once, is counted as the time of a mātrā. The measure of twelve mātrās is fixed for the counting of the prāṇāyama. The Yogī should control perspiration with the laghu. Then the Yogī should control the anxiety with the madhya and lastly, he should overcome dejection with the uttama. Thus he should control his faults with the help of these three kinds of prāṇāyāma. As one is treated kindly to the lions, tigers and elephants and they become mild, the Yogins also can control the breath within. The way an elephant-rider controls an elephant according to his wish, a yogin can also control his breath in a perfect way. A trained lion only attacks deer, not humans. Just like that controlling breath ruins a person’s faults not his body. So, Yogins give importance to preventing their breath.^[16] According to Patanjali’s Yogasūtra, Prāṇāyāma has three steps i.e. pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka.^[17]

But in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, prāṇāyāma is said to be of four kinds, [from which a person can get the result and lead to the liberation], viz.^[18]

1. dhvasti,
2. prāpti,
3. saṃvit and
4. prasāda.

Here, the destruction of the fruits of good and bad deeds and impurities of mind is call dhvasti, destruction of personal sin such as greed, egotism etc. is known as prāpti, obtaining knowledge about Sun, Moon etc. and past, present and future, as well as invincible things are known as saṃvit and the contentment and pacification of the senses, sense objects and five vāyus signifies prasāda.^[19]

The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa explains the procedure of prāṇāyama also. The Yogin should sit equally on an even seat, bringing both his feet together, rightly fixing his thighs in front, covering his mouth, sit without touching his private part by his hills, control his feelings, he should uplift his head a bit and he should not close his teeth together. He should look only at the tip of his own nose. The Yogins should hide the concept of tamas and rajas by sattva and take his stand in goodness and Yoga practice.^[20]

5. Dhāraṇā (concentration)

Concentration on an object is called Dhāraṇā.^[21] Dhāraṇā can destroy the fault.^[22] The Yogins make their mind engrossed in the supreme Brahman. Through the dhāraṇā, which is of two types, namely internal and external, yogins can uphold the mind, control the sense organs etc.^[23] It is also said to enable one to attain unity with Brahman. In this context ten places, on which dhāraṇā is to be practiced by yogins, are properly mentioned. There are some rules not to be practiced by yoga viz. not high breath, hungry, wearied, undisturbed mind etc.^[24] It is said that there are 10 forms of dharana for attaining a state that is serene and pure. To attain that state and before finally focusing on the supreme Dharana must be first felt on the nevel, the heart, the chest, the throught, the mouth, the tip of the nose, the eyes, the spece between the eyebrows, thehead simultaneously.^[25]

6. Pratyāhāra (sense-control

It means the withdrawal of the sense from their objects. The influences of outward objects like sound etc. are to be restrained by the Yogin. That is why it is called pratyahara.^[26] The Yogins should control their sense organs from their objects, breath, mind etc. He should proceed to distraction with a faithful cohesion. He should remove his all desires, like a tortoise. A tortoise can remove his organs from all sides. In soul and poised, he should be always happy. In outwards and inwards he should purify himself and fill his body from the navel to the neck. He must have proceed to absence of mind.^[27]

7. Dhyāna (meditation)

Dhyāna is supposed to bear the quality to destroy the uncontrolled quality.^[28] A Yogi should consider with continued attaintion the subtle conditions of 7 objects Viz. earth, water, fire, wind, sky along with manas and buddhi. A man conversent with religious devotion, gains relinquishes the most perfact subtlety of intellect. There is no retrogration when one relinquishes these 7 subtle objects. In that situation one may proceed to supreme bliss.^[29]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf. Yogasūtra, 2.29,32-55; 3.1.1

[2]:

asteyaṃ brahmacaryaṃ ca tyāgo’lobhastathaiva ca /
vratāni pañca bhikṣūṇāmahiṃsā paramāṇi vai // Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa,, 38.16

[3]:

J. Sanyal and K.N. Mallick, Indian Philosophy, p.14

[4]:

akrodho guruśuśrūṣāśaucamāhāralāghavam /
nityasvādhyāya ityete niyamāḥ parikīrtitāḥ // Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 38.17

[5]:

J. Sanyal. and K.N. Mallick, Indian Philosophy, p.14-15

[6]:

P.D. Sharma, Yoga, p.11

[7]:

padmamardhāsanaṃ cāpi tathā svastikamāsanam /
āsthāya yogaṃ yuñjīta kṛtvā ca praṇavaṃ hṛdi // Markaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 36.28

[8]:

sthirasukhamāsanaṃ / Yogasūtra, 2.46

[9]:

J. Sanyal and K.N. Mallick, Indian Philosophy, p. 15

[10]:

yogī yuñjīta satatamātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ /
ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīraparigrahaḥ // Bhagavadgītā., 6.10

[11]:

prathamaṃ sādhanaṃ kuryātprāṇāyāmasya yogavit /
prāṇāpānanirodhastu prāṇāyāma udāhṛtaḥ // Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa,36.12

[12]:

prāṇāyāmairdaheddoṣāndhāraṇābhiśca kiluiṣam /
pratyāhāreṇa viṣayāndhyānenānīśvarānguṇān //
yathā parvatadhātūnāṃ dhmātānāṃ dahyate malam //
tathendriyakṛtā doṣā dahyante prāṇanigrahāt // Ibid., 36.10-11

[13]:

tasmin sati śvāsapraśvāsayorgativicchedaḥ prāṇāyāmaḥ/ Yogasūtra, 2.49

[14]:

nimeṣonmeṣane mātrā kālo laghvakṣarastathā /
prāṇāyāmasya saṃkhyārthaṃ smṛto dvādaśamātrikaḥ // Markaṇḍeyapurāṇa,36.15

[15]:

laghumadhyottarīyākhyāḥ prāṇāyāmastridhoditaḥ /
tasya pramāṇaṃ vakṣyāmi tadalarka śṛṇuṣva me //
laghurdvārdaśamātrastu dviguṇaḥ sa tu madhyamaḥ /
triguṇābhistu mātrābhiruttamaḥ parikīrtitaḥ // Ibid., 36.13-14

[16]:

Ibid., 36.9-20

[17]:

sa ca recakapūrakakumbhakeṣvanugataḥ / Yogavārttika on Yogasūtra, 2.49

[18]:

śrūyatāṃ muktiphaladaṃ tasyāvasthācatuṣṭayam //
dhvastiḥ prāptistathā saṃvitprasādaśca mahīpate /
svarūpaṃ śṛṇu caiteṣāṃ kathyamānamanukramāt // Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 36.20 b-21

[19]:

Ibid,36.22-26

[20]:

Ibid.,36.27-31

[21]:

deśabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā/ Yogasūtra, 3.1

[22]:

Markaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 36.35 b-38 a

[23]:

dhāraṇetyucyate ceyaṃ dhāryate yanmano yayā /
śabdādibhyaḥ pravṛttāni yadkṣāṇi yatātmabhiḥ // Ibid., 36.41

[24]:

Ibid., 36.42 b-47 a

[25]:

Ibid., 36.43

[26]:

pratyāhṛyante yogena pratyāhārastataḥ smṛtaḥ / Ibid., 36.42a
cf. svaviṣayāsaṃprayoge cittasya svarūpānukāraivaindriyāṇām pratyāhāraḥ / Yogasūra, 2.54

[27]:

Markaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 36.32 b-35 a

[28]:

nāśayeccittamāvarta upasargaḥ sa ucyate /
atairnāśitayogāstu sakalā devayonayaḥ // Ibid., 37.13

[29]:

Ibid., 37.14-16