Patanjali Yoga Sutra Knowledge Sheet 80
Contd. from knowledge sheet 79
The biggest problem with lovers is that they love each other and start demanding each other. “Look how much I love you. What did you do for me?” or, they say “Do you really love me? Prove it to me now!” Proving each other’s love becomes a burden. Many a times, couples try to play the game of not being happy and look to the other person to cajole them and make them happy. You are losing your dignity when you are making others cajole you and make you happy. You be happy! You are the source of happiness. Nobody else can make you happy other than yourself. You need to say without saying that “Hey come on. You cannot put me down and take my mood off.” This should be the message to others from you.
“Kaya Indriya Siddhi Ashuddhi kshyat tapasaha’’ (II Sutra 43)
Kaya = body; Indriya = senses; Siddhihi = strong; Ashuddhi = impurities; Kshayat = eliminated; Tapasaha = by penance.
“By penance or purifying actions, the body and senses become strong as the impurities are eliminated.”
By tapas, the body and the senses become strong. While you are fasting, you are not pleasing God or you are not going to heaven or getting enlightenment. What happens by practicing all this? Your body becomes strong. Your resistance power increases. By the effect of tapas, the body and senses become strong. Ashuddhi kshaya, the impurities in you is eliminated.
Tapas means endurance.
“Tapo vay dwanda sahana”
Tapo = tapas; Vay = indeed; Dwandwa = tapas; Sahana = endurance
“Tapas is indeed endurance of the opposites.”
Life is full of opposites of pain-pleasure, good-bad, friends-enemies, and praise-blame. These things do come in life. Just take them with equanimity. Ability to endure heat and cold. How much ability you have to endure the opposites, that much is tapas. What does tapas do? This brings strength to your body and mind. Body gets prepared to hold the infinite consciousness. The body-mind complex gets prepared to emit the divinity that is there in everyone. Kayaindriya siddhi.
“Swadhyayadishtadevatasamprayogaha’’ (II Sutra 44)
Swadhyayat = by self-study; Ishta = desired; Devata = deity; Samprayogaha = presence is felt.
“By self-study, the desired deity’s presence is felt.”
By self-study, by observing, by becoming hollow and empty, we become the Divine’s channel. You are part of the Divine. You are able to feel the presence of the divinity. All different agents of the devas, all different forms of consciousness starts blossoming.
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(This is part of a series of knowledge sheets based on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's commentaries on Patanjali Yoga Sutras.)
