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Introduction to Vedanta by
H. H. Swami Paramarthananda Saraswathi
Chapter - 5
Upasana Yoga
Upasana - yoga
can be translated as disciplining and integrating the personality. This
is a topic elaborately discussed in the astanga-yoga of Patanjali. Sankaracharya
accepts the astangayoga of Patanjali and renames it Samadhi-yoga. Both
are the same. Let us see a brief summary of this yoga.
We should first know the purpose of disciplining. Why should there be
discipline at all? Disciplining the personality is like building or
constructing a dam across the river. Why do we construct dams? A lot
of water which will wastefully flow into the ocean is conserved by a
dam. This is one benefit. Once I conserve this water, it can be utilized
for constructive purposes like irrigation, production of electricity
and the like. This is the second benefit.
This is true in the case of our personality also. We have a lot of power
(sakti) inside which is normally wasted. Every human being is a resource
of power. Every great thing that happens in the world is because of
human power. And wherever there is power there is a possibility of that
power being wasted also. Once I learn to conserve my power, I can utilize
this power for any constructive purpose. Hence discipline is meant for
conserving and channelising the powers.
Iccha-sakti, jnana-sakti and kriya-sakti. Iccha-sakti is the power to
desire, a wonderful power with which we can seek the highest goal. A
dog cannot desire for moksa but I can. Hence the power to desire is
a great one. Kriya-sakti is the power to act. Jnana-sakti is the power
to know. Conserving these powers and utilizing them is the benefit of
discipline.
What is the principle of discipline? The principle of discipline is
quality-control and quantity-control. In any action that we undertake,
not only the quantity but the quality also is controlled. This control
over quantity and quality is the principle of all disciplines. To put
this in another language moderation in everything is the highest discipline
(ati sarvatra varjayet). This will help us in maintaining the quality.
Broadly speaking, the scriptures talk about discipline at four levels.
1. physical discipline, which is the discipline of the body.
2. Verbal discipline, the discipline of speech.
3. Sensory discipline, the discipline of the sense organs and
4. Mental discipline which is the discipline of the mind.
Let us briefly discuss each one of them.
Physical Discipline
In physical discipline, we have to pay attention to the physical
body and physical activity because a healthy physical body is the basic
requisite for any achievement including moksa. Without health, we cannot
accomplish anything. Even if we accomplish anything without health,
we cannot enjoy the benefit of accomplishment. Imagine a person who
earns a lot of money by working 24 hours a day, travelling all over
the world without any rest, without proper food habits, without following
any discipline. He may earn a lot of money but very soon he finds that
his health does not permit him to enjoy. We never understand the value
of health when it is there; we understand its value only when we lose
it. But by then we would have reached a stage from where we cannot get
back. Even to have the minimum enjoyment of eating we should maintain
good health. To seek after moksa too, we need to have health. Health
is sought after through all the prayers of the Upanisads. A person can
never neglect his body. In the Gita, krishna says that for the sake
of health one has to follow discipline in food, both in quality and
quantity. Too much eating is as dangerous as too much fasting. Similarly
too much activity is as dangerous as too much inactivity. Activity and
rest must be balanced. Eating and fasting should be balanced. Sleeping
and waking should be balanced. All these things should be disciplined
so that the physical body remains fit for studying the sastras. Yoga,
physical exercise, and dietary discipline are some of the methods of
keeping the body fit.
Verbal Discipline
The next is verbal discipline. In terms of speech also, there
is quality and quantity control. It is significant that the sastras give
a lot of importance to verbal discipline, otherwise called vak-tapas.
We should avoid argument. Avoiding argument saves a lot of time and energy.
Vadah tyajyah. In addition to straining relationship and increasing the
BP of the persons concerned, it also leads to wastage of time. Avoid gossip.
Never talk about others. Finally avoid worthless talk, i.e. talk which
is not useful to the speaker or to the listener. Talking about the past
or the future is also meaningless. Talking about the present based on
the past and future is meaningful. Based on the past experience and future
possibility, I can talk about the present. Dwelling upon the past and
future is worthless. Thus by avoiding arguments, gossip and worthless
talk, if we plan to speak, we will not have much to speak at all. This
way we can avoid a lot of rumours also. All rumors are born out of indiscipline.
We can also avoid hurting others or breaking relationships. This is quantity
control.
Then what is quality control? Speech should be non-hurtful, polite, useful
and truthful. If these four conditions are maintained, then, that speech
is of very good quality. Thus keeping an eye on the quantity and the quality
of one’s speech is a great discipline. This is accomplished through an
alert and deliberate use of one’s organ of speech.
Sensory Discipline
The third one is sense-discipline. The sense organs are like
open doors-gateways-through which the world enters our mind in the form
of sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. Words from other people enter
my mind. Some sense organs can be closed while some cannot be closed.
For example, I can close my eyes. But I cannot do so all the time. I cannot
close my nose. Again, I cannot keep my sense organs closed all the time
nor can I keep them open all the time. The sense organs are open when
I get into the external world. And whether I like it or not, they enter
my mind. When the world enters, it is capable of disturbing and polluting
my mind. Therefore, if I do not have discipline, then, the world can disturb
me. I should have a clear-cut norm as to what I will perceive and what
all I will avoid. I should learn to avoid anything that can pollute my
mind. Dussangah sarvada tyajyah. Thus avoidance of unhealthy atmosphere
is sensory discipline. Even the so-called healthy things. I should avoid
overdoing. Avoidance of excess and avoidance of unhealthy exposure is
necessary because the sense organs are open gates. Swami Chinmayananda
has beautifully said, “Put aboard, ‘No admission without permission. ‘Don’t
make your mind a public toilet to get dirty”. This is sense discipline.
This is achieved through a life of alertness and discrimination.
Mental Discipline
Finally comes mental discipline, which is the most important
one. In this we have to take care of several aspects of the mind. There
are four aspects of the mind to be taken care of for the mental discipline.
1. Relaxation - mind should enjoy relaxation. Now a days everyone is talking
of a stressful life and a stress - free life. There is a lot of stress
in our present-day life. A relaxed mind alone can accomplish anything
in life, whether it is spiritual or material accomplishments. Mind should
therefore learn to relax.
2. Concentration - mind should have capacity to focus.
3. Expansion or accommodation - mind should expand enough to accommodate
everyone in the creation.
4. Refinement - cultivation of ethical values.
To develop these faculties or disciplines of the mind, the scriptures
prescribe meditation, otherwise called Upasanam. Upasanam is a wonderful
exercise to discipline the mind and to acquire these qualifications. Based
on the faculty that we want to develop, meditation also can be classified
into four varieties. Each type of meditation will develop a particular
type of faculty.
Relaxation - Meditation
One type of meditation is relaxation-meditation in which I develop
the relaxing capacity. I do not concentrate on anything. I just want to
remain physically and mentally relaxed. It is a wonderful exercise. We
have different methods of doing this. One method is mentally visualizing
beautiful surroundings like gardens, mountains, the sky, or the ocean.
Nature is always relaxed. There is no tension in nature. The trees, the
bird and the animals are all relaxed. If there is a cow or a buffalao
on a busy road, the animals are relaxed, the human beings alone get tensed
up. In fact we get more tensed seeing the relaxed condition of the animals.
This visualization of nature is one method of relaxation.
Concentration - Meditation
The second type of meditation is concentration - meditation in
which some activity is given to the mind; this can be either mental worship
of the Lord or mental recitation of some prayers or mental repetition
of some namas of the Lord. Mental worship can be done elaborately or in
the simple manner. I can mentally offer naivedyam, do diparadhana, namaskara,
pradaksina and so on and 1 try to do as realistically as possible. What
is the difference between recitation and repetition? In recitation there
may be verses like Sahasranama; the chanting may be in Tamil, Telugu,
Kannada or in any language I know. The chanting is done mentally. In repetition
you do not have verses. You have only one mantra like Om Namah Sivaya,
Om Namo Narayanaya which you mentally repeat.
Expansion - Meditation
The third type of meditation is expansion where I can change
my perspective. I look at anything that is vast. It can be ocean-meditation,
it can be sky-meditation. When there is a tree, right in front of me,
it looks very big because of its height but the same tree looks small
if I look at it from a mountain. Not that the tree has become small, but
my perspective has changed. Similarly, as our ego is very big now our
problems are also very big. After expansion meditation, our problems become
as unimportant as a mosquito bite. The death of someone, for example,
which appears as a very big calamity becomes acceptable when you we look
at the millions appearing and disappearing due to the law of nature. It
is my mistake that I had a wishful thinking that we will continue to exist.
But if I look at the whole thing from the cosmic angle, life is nothing
but the flow of one generation into another. Not only do I accept the
events of life, but also do I learn to accept all the things and beings.
This is expansion of the mind. Meditation of the totality is called Virat-upasanam
or Visvarupa-upasanam. It is beautifully described in the eleventh chapter
of the Gita. Arjuna sees Krishna not as a person but as the whole universe.
It is universal vision.
Value-meditation
Next comes value-meditation. In this meditation I take up every
positive virtue and see its importance in my spiritual life-satyam, daya,
kshama, etc. I take each value and dwell upon its importance in my spiritual
growth. I also take the negative qualities like impatience hurting other
people, gossiping, jealousy, hatred etc. and see how damaging they are
to my spiritual life, how it creates mental sickness and how it retards
my spiritual growth. Having mentally seen the positive and the negative
aspects of these traits, I repeat to myself that I have the positive virtue.
I say so even if I do not have them. I say that I am the embodiment of
patience, of love, of compassion and so on. I go on repeating. Even mere
mechanical repetition will bring about a gradual change. It is said that
when an ant moves on a rock, even though the ant is light and the rock
is hard, the ant slowly and gradually erodes the rock. Similarly if you
go on repeating, you unknowingly imbibe those virtues which Krishna describes
as daivi-sampat. Gradually the unhealthy traits will go away. The unhealthy
thoughts are called asuri-sampat. Such a change is called refinement of
the mind, which is the result of value-meditation.
These different types of meditation bring in a wonderfully disciplined
mind which is ready for the next stage of sadhana. In Kathopanisad, a
beautiful example is given. Life is compared to a journey. The physical
body is compared to a vehicle in which we do the journey. The sense organs
are like horses while the mind is like the reins and the intellect is
compared to a driver. If the vehicle is not in good condition, there is
the risk of an accident. Therefore I cannot afford to travel by such a
vehicle, if I want to reach the destination. Kathopanisad rightly says
that one who has a disciplined mind and an intelligent driver will reach
the destination of moksa successfully. Thus, discipline is the second
stage of sadhana, which we call upasana - yoga.
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