Yoga Philosophy in Śānti-parva

In the Śāntiparva of Mahābhārata, the light will be thrown on the reflections of Yoga philosophy. In Śāntiparva Yoga is discussed between Bhīṣma and Yudhiṣṭhira [300-301], Yājñavalkya and Janaka [316-317], Vyāsa and Śuka [236, 240].According to Mahābhārata Śāntiparva there is no knowledge like that of the Sāṃkhyas. There is no power like that of Yoga. These two prescribe the same practices, and both are considered as capable of leading to Liberation^[1]. The Yoga system prepares the practical aid for achieving release. This system adopts the concept of elements on the lines of Sāṃkhya system. The Mahābhārata also does not describe the elements of Yoga philosophy separately. The word Yoga derived from the Sanskrit root yuj which means to join, to unite. To form the Yoga at least two entities are essential which are jīvātma (soul) and paramātma (Supreme soul) that are to be joined together by the practice of Yoga. The Yoga, defined Patañjali, is the restraint of mental modifications that is the control of the activities of the mind^[2].

196 sūtras are contained in the Yogasūtra of Patañjali. It had four different parts under each separate heading namely—

1. samādhi-pāda (meditation),
2. sādhana-pāda (practice),
3. vibhūti-pāda (accomplishments) and
4. kaivalya-pāda (absolute isolation).

It concised form includes essential yogic techniques and philosophical concepts. Yoga is a discipline for controlling the body and mind in order to achieve liberation from the material world.

The Mahābhārata explains the word Yoga in three different ways first is—

samatvaṃ yoga ucyate,^[3]

The second is—

yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam^[4]

And the third definition is—

duḥkhasaṃyogaviyogaḥ || ^[5]

According to Maitrāyaṇi Upaniṣad, the word yoga means:

“It is so said since one joins in this way the breath, Om and all in its manifold forms or they join with him. Hence it is called Yoga. The union of breath and mind of the organs and relinquishment of all existence is called Yoga.”^[6]

According to Chakravarti, S.C., the idealistic systems of monistic and theistic believers found that persisting on the course of analysis originated by the Sāṃkhya system; so many gaps were brought to light. Consequently, it became increasingly difficult to bridge them over and solve the problem of existence. Since the progress in the field of science was feeble during these days. During this period of stagnation, materialism would have marched. But the intelligentsia developed a new kind of philosophy known as Yoga system.^[7] The self is concentrated by it. The ego is a bar for solving the problem of existence. The individual is helped by it to win the battle of idealism. The inner turned experiences practised by yoga explain meaning of the traditional beliefs anew, corrected and reinforced them. The ultimate aim of all the Indian philosophical systems is release or Mokṣa. The natural complement of practical discipline to achieve the Sāṃkhya ideal of Kaivalya is the Yoga system. In the Yoga Philosophy, which disciplines the mind and body of man by controlling his passions, his reactions, lead him to reach the surpassing senses plane, by empowering him to attain self-realisation. It made him the master of his unavoidable fate by spreading out the path of eightfold accessories of Yoga. The emphasis of the Mahābhārata is on the practical aspect of Yoga that is yama (restraint), niyama (the control of the mind), āśana (posture), prāṇāyāma (breath control), pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses), dhāraṇa (concentration), dhyāna (meditation) and samādhi (super conscious state).^[8] They enable the aspirant to steady his body and mind and make them fit i.e. directive to gain the final goal of human life. The term yama denotes the activity of the control of the body, speech and mind. Harmlessness, truthfulness, abstinence from theft, continence and non acceptance of gift are the restraints.^[9] The continuous flow of only kind of thought is Niyama. According to Patañjali niyama is internal and external purification, contentment, mortification, Vedic study and worship of God.^[10] Āsana is the third step of yoga. Steady and comfortable is the Posture.^[11]

Various types of āsanas are described in the yoga. These are as follows—

1. Padma-āsana,
2. Vīra-āsana,
3. Bhadra-āsana,
4. Svastika-āsana,
5. Daṇḍa-āsana,
6. Sopāśraya-āsana,
7. Paryaṅka-āsana,
8. Krauñcaniṣadana-āsana,
9. Hastiniṣadana-āsana,
10. Uṣṭraniṣadana-āsana,
11. Samasamsthāna-āsana,
12. Sthirasukha-āsana,
13. Yathāsukha-āsana etc.

The restraint of all modifications of the mind by regarding all mental faculties like the citta as brahma itself is called prāṇāyāma^[12]. It is the control of breath. The regulation of breath brings about calmness of mind. Pratyāhāra gets rid of desires and intuitions from mind. In the absence of union with their own objects, the function of the senses to follow, as it were, the nature of the mind, is Abstraction.^[13] Dhāraṇa means concentration. Concentration is the confinement of the mind in a place. The confinement of the mind by each operation in such places as the navel sphere, the lotus of the heart, the head, the shining part the forepart of the nose, the forepart of the tongue, etc., or in any external object is concentration.^[14] An unbroken flow of mind towards the object of meditation is called dhyāna. This is the seventh step of Yoga.^[15] The practice of concentration, meditative absorption and great delight with respect to one and the same object is technically known as constraint. The continuation of the mental effort by continuously repeating the focus on the object is meditation (dhyāna). The final step in Yoga is samādhi. Samādhi means concentration. That meditation itself having the manifestation of truth alone as if devoid of its own form is spiritual Absorption. When the Meditation itself having the manifestation of designed form becomes as if devoid of its cognitional character, due to the coming in of the real nature of the designed object, then it is called Spiritual Absorption.^[16]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

nāsti sāṃkhyasamaṃ jñānaṃ nāsti yogasamaṃ balam | tāvubhāvekacaryo tāvubhāvanidhanau smṛtau || Śāntiparva , 316-2.

[2]:

yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ | Yogasūtra of patañjali, 1.2.

[3]:

Mahābhārata XII, Bh.P. 24-48.

[4]:

Ibid., 50.

[5]:

Ibid., 28-23.

[6]:

Maitrāyaṇyupaniṣad VI-25.

[7]:

Chakravrthi, S.C., The Philosophy of Upaniṣads, University of Calcutta, 1935, P-60.

[8]:

vedeṣu cāṣṭaguṇinaṃ yogamāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ |
sūkṣmamaṣṭaguṇaṃ prāhurnetaraṃ nṛpasattama || Śāntiparva , 316 -7.

[9]:

tatrāhiṃsāsatyasteyabrahmacaryāparigrahā yamāḥ | yogasūtra, 2-30.

[10]:

śaucasantoṣatapaḥsvādhyāyeśvarapraṇidhānāni niyamāḥ | Yogasūtra of patañjali, II-32

[11]:

sthirasukhamāsanam | Yogasūtra of patañjali, II-46.

[12]:

dhāraṇaṃ caiva manasaḥ prāṇāyāmaśca pārthiva |
ekāgratā ca manasaḥ prāṇāyāmastathaiva ca || Śāntiparva , 316-9.

[13]:

Ibid., II -54.

[14]:

dehabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā | yogasūtra, 3-1.

[15]:

Yogasūtra of patañjali, III-2.

[16]:

Ibid.,III-3.