The Stages of Yoga:-
WHEN a person first begins to practice Yoga, he is able to stabilize his mind on God for some seconds while, during other moments, his thoughts are scattered in all directions and towards many objects. There are some practicants who are able to control and calm down their mind in a trice and they bring it to focus on God without much efforts whereas others take time to do it but, in either case, the efforts are quite rewarding. When the mind is stabilised on God even for a split second, it brings so much inner peace and such an ecstasic taste to the mind that it is drawn again and again towards God so as to have more such experience. Even though the moments of concentration be few and short, this practice is at least an attempt to control the mind and to subdue it and bring it to a point, which in itself is a great thing and of great use even in the worldly life. So, one should not get frustrated or become ill-at ease with one-self if, during the initial attempts, one notices in one’s self the inability to control the mind for a couple of minutes at a stretch. For, even the idea of taking the mind to God is golden and rewarding in itself; millions of people are poorer in their minds because of the lack of this idea in them.
Meditation: Concentration
In this second stage, one is easily able to switch on one’s mind to God, as one would switch on the light. One only thinks of God with the deep emotion that He is the most beloved Guide and Friend and Mother-Father, and one’s mind goes in that direction, and only a very small fraction of one’s thoughts fritters away. One begins to feel ecstasy and becomes intoxicated with the divine love and bliss. However, the full blaze of yoga has yet to be lit. That would be the third stage, called ‘Concentration.’
Realisation
In this stage, a man finds light, peace, bliss and might, descend- ing on him and spreading through him into the world. It is such a wonderful experience that one feels that all the treasures of the world fade into insignificance in the face of this attainment. At this stage. love, peace and bliss do not remain merely stale and feelingless dic- tionary words, but one takes a dip into their essence, or one is drenched in them. These penetrate through one’s very being so deeply that their effect lasts over long periods even after this period of intense meditation is over.
The fate of the lower lot should be a lesson for all. If mankind heeds what Alexander the Great said to his generals on his deathbed, the world would be a better place to live in. A man who earns by unfair means dies a sorrowful death, for he has caused sorrow to so many people. He may amass astronomically large amounts of money, but he cannot eat more than his hunger demands, nor can he sleep in more than one room.Attachment to one’s relatives, friends, or material possessions also brings many shocks in life. It proves nerve-wracking when a loved one falls ill or dies. Those who are mentally bound to others go through life like two people in a three-legged race. Attachment to one’s caste, language, community, or country has divided the world into various warring factions, or nations confronting other nations. Just as acrobats leave their swing or sling to hold the hands of others, hanging from their slings in full view of spectators, nations today form various alignments. The lion of nationalism has almost devoured the ambition of the U.N. One can safely navigate the ocean of the world if one considers attachment as a rock and roughness in the sea of existence, an obstacle to smooth sailing in life.Pride also raises high tides in the mind. A proud man sees a magnified image of himself, like one sees in a concave mirror. He is happy only in the company of sycophants and yes-men. He rides roughshod over those with fewer means. He is in the habit of blowing his own trumpet or beating his own drum. A nation filled with proud people must pay a high price to keep itself united and maintain order, for there is always a tendency for people to break away and form separate groups. The world today suffers greatly because of leaders who are proud of their economic strength, territorial superiority, or larger populations. Wouldn’t mankind have more sanity if it understood that pride in such things is nothing more than the childish pride of mere toys?Thus, it will be found that abstinence from these five vices, along with the sixth, which is sloth or indolence, is the path of wisdom. A Raja Yogi follows this path, becoming a holy person. In fact, such a path is not only beneficial to an individual but also to the family, the nation, and the whole world.