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## The Greatness of Yoga: Pride and Detachment in the Form of Sanatkumara Chakravarti
The Yoga Shastra, in the first light, verses 5 and 6, states that this Yoga Shastra is being composed based on the ocean of Agamas, the words of our Gurus, and our own experience. This will be stated again at the end of this text. What I have learned from the Shastra, the Guru's words, and my own experience, is the Upanishad of Yoga, which will amaze the minds of the wise. Therefore, at the earnest request of King Kumarapala of the Chalukya dynasty, Acharya Bhagwan Shri Hemchandrasuri Shwarji has composed this Yoga Shastra through his words. ||4|| Now, we will explain the greatness of Yoga. ||5||
Yoga is a sharp axe that cuts through the thicket of all kinds of calamities, and it is a charm that subdues the Lakshmi of liberation, free from herbs, mantras, and tantras. ||5||
**Meaning:** Yoga is like a sharp axe that cuts through the thicket of all kinds of calamities, both spiritual, material, and divine. It destroys the fruits of evil deeds. The second half of the verse explains that Yoga leads to the attainment of the ultimate goal of liberation, the Lakshmi of liberation. In the world, to perform charms, one has to use herbs, mantras, and tantras, but Yoga is an infallible means of subduing the Lakshmi of liberation without herbs, mantras, and tantras. ||5||
**Implication:** How can the work of calamities be destroyed without removing the cause? Therefore, we speak of Yoga, which destroys the sins that are the root cause. ||5||
**Verse 6:** Even great sins are destroyed by Yoga, like dense clouds are scattered by a fierce wind. ||6||
**Meaning:** Just as a fierce wind scatters a series of dense clouds, so too, many sins are destroyed by the influence of Yoga. ||6||
**Question:** It is possible that sins acquired in one birth may be destroyed by the influence of Yoga, but how can the destruction of many sins acquired over countless births be possible through Yoga? We answer this in the next verse. ||6||
**Verse 7:** Yoga destroys even sins acquired over a long time, just as a fierce fire burns up accumulated firewood in an instant. ||7||
**Meaning:** Just as a fierce fire burns up firewood accumulated over a long time in an instant, so too, Yoga destroys sins accumulated over countless births in an instant. ||7||
We also explain another fruit of Yoga. ||8||
**Verse 8:** The yogi obtains all medicinal wealth (powerful) like phlegm, mucus, excrement, touch, etc., and the ability to perceive the objects of all senses through any one sense, this is the wonder of the practice of Yoga. ||8||
**Explanation:** For the yogi, phlegm, mucus, excrement, earwax, tooth decay, eye and tongue dirt, touch of hands, etc., excrement, urine, hair, nails, etc., all these things, whether spoken or unspoken, become medicinal in nature due to the influence of Yoga. They act as medicine. What medicines do, these things can do. Not only that, but Yoga also grants the abilities (powers) of anima, etc., and the ability to perceive all senses through one sense. It was the influence of Yoga that enabled yogis like Sanatkumara to obtain the power to cure all diseases through phlegm points due to the influence of their Yoga. ||8||
Below, we present the example of Sanatkumara Chakravarti.