The Whole World is Here for You to Enjoy

Patanjali Yoga Sutra Knowledge Sheet 61

“Drashtri durshyayoho samyogo heya hetuhu’’ (II Sutra 17)

drashtri = seen; drushyayoho = the seen; samyogaha = becoming one; heya = suffering; hetuhu = the cause

“The cause of suffering is when the seer becomes one with the seen and forgets one’s true nature.”

Forgetfulness of one’s self as separate from one’s environment is the main cause of suffering. The self, the seer and the seeing. The self and the objects that are all around the self. The lack of perception. You think “this is me”. Then problems begin.

You keep your life somewhere else. You do not keep your life in you. You know, in olden days’ stories, there used to be a mini-island and there would be a fort in that small island and in that fort, there would be a palace. In the palace, there is somebody.

The life of the king would be in a parrot in some other place. So if this parrot would be killed, then the king would die there. Have you heard this story? These are all stories in India, which come in magazines.

Even in China, you have these kind of stories. The king's life is not in him. He would not die even if anybody hurts him. To kill the king, you have to go to that particular island and to get into that fort is very hard. Some superman will venture into the fort and then the palace and the palace is full of cobras and what not. He has to get past all that.

It is all very thrilling you know. He gets into the underground and then suddenly a door opens up and he gets in there and it gets more interesting. There is a cage there and the cage has a parrot. He has to go near it and the cage is unapproachable. He cannot touch the cage. If he touches the cage, it may burn him down and without touching the cage, he has to kill the parrot. When he kills the parrot, the king who is somewhere would die or whatever is supposed to happen will happen.

Life is not in oneself. Life is somewhere else, in the bank account. You have not just deposited the money in the bank. Along with the money, you have deposited your life also. If something happens to the bank account, you have a heart failure. Do you see what I am saying? Whatever you think as more important, be it matter or material, you give more importance to it than the life. That becomes the cause of suffering. So when you see the difference, then the seer, the light, separates from the surrounding and then you see, “what is all this?” Then, true meditation happens.

Patanjali says –

“Prakasha kriya sthiti shelam bhutendriyatmakam bhoga apavargartham drushyam’’ (II Sutra 18)

prakasha = manifesting; kriya = dynamic; sthiti = inertia; shelam = nature; bhutendriyatmakam = made up of five elements; bhoga = pleasure; apavarga = relief; artham = object; drushyam = seen

“Manifestation, dynamism, inertia is the nature of one’s consciousness. The entire creation being made up of five elements gives you pleasure and relief from the objects of enjoyment.”

That does not mean that you should run away from this world. This world is here for your enjoyment. Patanjali is very clear on it. These beautiful sceneries are here for you to look at. Great food is here for you to eat and enjoy. The whole world is here for you to enjoy, but while enjoying, do not forget yourself. You are separate from them. This is viveka (intelligence). Do you see what I am saying?

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(This is part of a series of knowledge sheets based on Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's commentaries on Patanjali Yoga Sutras.)