35 nature of the mind’
82
.This is a key term in the psychology of attention where there is a degree of sensory withdrawal or inhibition
83
. When the focus of attention is narrowed in its locus, the awareness of the external world through the senses is gradually diminished. With practice and
proficiency, there is developed the ability for complete cessation of all sensory activity by the yogin.
Initially of course the arousal of the senses is still possible especially with strong stimuli, but the control and mastery of the afferent functions becomes established. Prat
yahāra thus forms ‘the bridge and is the cumulative result of the previous practices, and opens the door to one-pointed
concentration’
84
The continual practice and cultivation of concentration, meditation and Samadhi together constitute what is called ‘
samyama’ constraint. It is the application samayama to any object that leads to the practitioner’s ‘direct perception of it thereby yielding suprasensuous knowledge or insight pra
a. The mind becomes like a clear jewel taking on the colour of the object that fuses with it
,
85
d. Summary
. This is a state of awareness where the there is unification of the subject, object and the means of perception,
thereby revealing the purușa the true identity.
The Yogasūtra as a Science of Mind which identifies the elements, their relationships and principles
of operations of the citta , gives a foundation for a psychological understanding of the phenomenal
identity. We have looked at the key concepts and principles that form the conceptual framework for this understanding and established that there is a coherent and systematic underlying structure. The
practice of Yoga is the application of these principles to bring the mind to a state of high concentration, stability and awareness which leads to the ‘seer abiding in itself’ YS I.3.
82
Ibid., II.54 p245
83
G.Feuerstein, The Philosophy of Yoga, p81
84
G.Koelman, Patanjali Yoga: From Related Ego to Absolute Self, p176
85
Hariharananda Aranya, Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, I.41, p 89
36
SECTION THREE I.
ŚA
Ṁ
KARA ’S SUBCOMMENTARY ON THE YOGASŪTRA a. Introduction
One consequence of approaching the Yogasūtra as a Science of Mind is that the principles and
precepts of the science can be interpreted from different metaphysical and philosophical perspectives. The main commentary of
Vyāsa – Vyāsabhāșya – is primarily from the Sā
ṁ
khya worldview which asserts the reality of both the material world
prakŗiti and the pure consciousness purușa. The phenomenal empirical identity arises as a result of the ‘samyoga’ or conjunction of the
two principles of purușa and prakŗiti , and knowledge of the phenomenal world occurs when the
senses convey the impressions to the citta mind which comes into balance with the object
perceived. The purușa is the real subjective ‘knower’ or ‘seer’ of the contents of the mind. Thus
when purușa is associated with prakŗiti the conjunction produces knowledge and all experience –
bhoga. When the knowledge is of the discriminating kind, it leads to the disassociation of the two principles which is
kaivalya or liberation. Yoga then provides the practical methods of cessation of the modifications of the mind leading to the realisation of the pure consciousness as the ground
reality of awareness. It has been mentioned in Section I that one of the six
darśana-s or worldviews is the Advaita Vedānta tradition which the non-dualistic metaphysic in Hindu theology. The main proponent of this
school is Adi Śa
ṁ
kara who in lived in the 8
th
century. According to tradition, Śa
ṁ
kara was born in southern India and became a renunciate at a very early age. In his mature life he travelled
extensively through India and is said to have established the four matha-s or monasteries in the four
corners of the continent as centre of learning. He was a prolific commentator and many works have been credited to him although only some have been authenticated as written by him. One of the
37 most important of his work is the
Brahmasūtrabhāșya which is his commentary on Badarārānya’s Brahmasūtra. It remains an influential commentary even today
86
b. The Śa
