Practice makes perfect

[Ravi Mayavaram]

On Fri, 13 Mar 1998, Chandran, Nanda (NBC) wrote:

> I think sometime back Jaladhar mentioned that Yoga literally means
> 'practice'. In my personal life, on quite a few occasions, I have been
> amazed at what can be achived by practice - seemingly impossible tasks
> made possible just by sheer practice.

namaskAram

yoga does not mean practice. It means Union or to Yoke with. Depending
on the school of though you adhere to this "union" can be interpreted
differently. It the union of jIvAtaman with the paramAtman. Some yoga
schools will interpret it as the union of kundalini with the
sadAshivam in the sahasrara padmam.

shrI lalita sahasranAmam, praises shrI mAta is a series of names
related to yoga as, yoginI (one who is ever united with parashiva),
yogadA (one who confers the yoga (union with brahman) on HER devotees,
yogyA (one who deserves all kinds of yoga, one who is ever fit for the
bliss of union) and yogAnandA (one who rejoices in the bliss attained
through yoga)

shrI patanjali say that yoga (the union) is attained through the
cessation of turning of thought ( chitta vR^itti nirodaH). shRi
bhagavad gIta describes yoga from different aspects.



Ravi
AUM shrI mAtre namaH
>From ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU Sun Mar 15 17:40:36 1998
Message-Id: <SUN.15.MAR.1998.174036.0500.ADVAITAL at TAMU.EDU>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 17:40:36 -0500
Reply-To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: MANTRALAURA at DELPHI.COM
Subject: Meditation on "Bliss of Brahman", Pt. 1
Comments: To: ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

sarvebhyo namaH,
  It is suggested in "pa~nchadashii" that the
following quoted verses be "meditated on for
the purification of the mind" (Because of its
length, I will present this in four parts,
this being Part I):
 "Before realization one has many duties to
perform in order to acquire worldly and celestial
advantages and also as an attempt to ultimate
release; but with the rise of knowledge of
Brahman, they are as good as already done, for
nothing further remains to be done. (40/253)
  The jiivanmukta always feels supreme self-
satisfaction by constantly keeping in view his
former state and present state of freedom from
wants and duties. (41/254) (Meditating continually
on Brahman he enjoys supreme felicity all the time.)
  Let the ignorant people of the world perform
worldly actions and desire to possess wives,
children and wealth. I am full of supreme bliss.
For what purpose should I engage myself in worldly
concerns? (42/255) (This is how the jiivanmukta
feels.)
  Let those desirous of joy in heaven perform the
ordained rituals. I pervade all the worlds. How and
wherefore should I undertake such actions? (43/256)
(It is useless, for a knower has no karma or its
enjoyable results.)
  Let those who are entitled to it, explain the
scriptures or teach the Vedas. I am not so
entitled because all my actions have ceased.(44/257)
(No injunctions are applicable to a knower and he
is not concerned about the merit derived from good
actions. He has no motive to do anything, not even
for the good of others.)
  I have no desire to sleep or beg for alms, nor
do I do so; nor do I perform the acts of bathing
or absolution. The onlookers imagine these things
in me. What have I to do with their imaginations?
(45/258)
  Seeing a bush of red gu~njaa berries from a
distance one may suppose that there is a fire, but
such an imaginary fire does not affect the bush.
So the worldly duties and qualities attributed to
me and others do not affect me. (46/259)
  Let those ignorant of the nature of Brahman
listen to the teachings of the Vedanta philosophy.
I have self-knowledge. Why again should I listen
to them? Those who are in doubt reflect on the
nature of Brahman. I have no doubts, so I do not
do so. (47/259) (He has neither ignorance nor
doubt, so no more shravaNa and manana.)

(To be continued . . . )

OM shaantiH shaantiH shaantiH

dhanyavaadaH,
  Mantralaura