Upasana means getting to be close to God, for humans it means possessing the God like qualities within us and also developing the God like qualities and Godly virtues within us. Patanjali Yoga Philosophy is a unique text, it explains the aim of yoga in simple language and it clearly lists the ways in which one can achieve the aim of developing these God-like qualities.
Patanjali Yoga Sutra expounds this philosophy and which is a compilation by sage Patanjali has 4 chapters.
In the first chapter of Samadhi Pad, Patanjali lists the 5 states of mind from the lowest to highest and all upcoming chapters train the practitioner to take the mind into the higher state. The first sutra starts with the decision to make a commitment to Yoga and the second one lists the aim of Yoga which is to ‘arrest all mental modifications.’ This is an important step in trying to inculcate divine qualities because humans have many mental fluctuations and doubts, not divine beings.
The first chapter emphasises that it’s important to get rid of attachment, aversion, and fear to get close to our pure self.
For this there is sutra 1.33 maitri karuna muditopeksanam sukha duhkha punyapunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam. This sutra gives us the methods to deal with people with four types of attitudes like friendliness, compassion, happiness or neutrality. This helps us maintain an elevated and godly state of consciousness which will help us in our upasana. Sutra 1.34 – 1.38 also gives us the suggestion to keep our mind focused either on breath or on sensation or inner luminosity or contemplating on a stable mind or focusing on the stream of mind.
The second chapter is Sadhana pad which talks about how one can reduce the gross colorings of kleshas (2.3 avidya asmita raga dvesha abhinivesha pancha klesha) by practising kriya yoga. Yoga of action (kriya yoga) is practised to bring about samadhi and to minimise the colored thought patterns (kleshas).
(2.2 samadhi bhavana arthah klesha tanu karanarthah cha)
2.12 talks about how we can come out of the karmic cycle if we are able to break the union of seer and the seen by practising Yoga.
Chapter 2 also speaks about the yamas and niyamas and the results of practising each of them.
This talks about the results of being established in yama. grounding in ahimsa will cause you to have a nonviolent and peaceful aura(2.35), grounding in satya will result in strengthening the fruits of actions as per the will of the yogi(2.36), grounding in asteya will lead to all jewels and treasures being with the yogi(2.37), grounding in brahmacharya will result in vitality(2.38), grounding in aparigraha one will know of the past and future incarnations(2.39).
This chapter also talks about the results of being established in niyama. Grounding in shaucha gives one detachment from body and sex, and mastery over senses. Grounding in santosha gives joy, mental comfort and satisfaction. Grounding in tapa destroys mental impurities and gives perfection to the body. Grounding in svadhyaya gives divine communion. Grounding in ishvarapranidhana gives samadhi.
The third chapter of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is Vibhutipad, this chapter talks about Samyama i.e. the combined practices of concentration, meditation, and samadhi to remove the subtle veils of ignorance.
The mastery of samyama develops transcendental consciousness in a person.
By using samyama on ideas one can obtain the knowledge of any person’s mind. By samyama on one’s body one can gain the power of becoming invisible, by samyama on karma one can gain the knowledge of death. By samyama on friendliness, one gains strength, and on the strength of elephants one can manifest same strength, by samyama on inner sun knowledge of subtle realms are known, on moon, knowledge on inner stars is known, on pole star, its movement is known; on navel centre, arrangement of body-systems is known; on pit of throat, one gains control over thirst and hunger; on heart one gains knowledge of the mind; samyama on bhutas gives mastery over the bhutas and the capability to make the body small, large etc; samyama on perception and action, i-ness, mastery over indriyas is gained;
3.56 With the attainment of equality between the purest aspect of sattvic buddhi and the pure consciousness of purusha, there comes absolute liberation, and that is the end.
The fourth chapter which is Kaivalyapad deals with how Yogi’s can gain ultimate realisation. 4.34 When those primary elements involve, or resolve themselves back into that out of which they emerged, there comes liberation, wherein the power of pure consciousness becomes established in its true nature which is that of divinity.
All the divine qualities that the Patanjali philosophy speaks of, are not supernatural qualities, but the natural capability and abilities of the mind, body and senses which have been covered up due to our own ignorance.
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