________________
YOGA.
409
regrets in his calmer moments. When people are mixed up in a crowd they often act in this manner. Perusal of literature which readily commands the assent of one's will, is another illustration of the principle. In both these instances it is the emotional nature which is appealed to, and which excites the will and makes it discard the warning of intellect. Independently of the above, will is also freed from the dominion of intellect whenever it is stimulated into exaltation by internal stimulis, such as in Yoga, or when the intellect is unable to meet the situation, as in case of some grave, immediate danger, or when its vehicle, or tool, i.e., the brain, is exhausted, whether by the poisonous secretions of brain-cells, or the over-stimulation of the sensory nerves by means of some mechanical device, or otherwise. There is, however, an important distinction between those cases in which the suspension of the discriminative function is accomplished through the exaltation of will, and those in which it is brought about by the stupefaction or gagging of intellect, or the paralysis of will itself; for, in the former case, will is conscious of its supremacy, and itself dispenses with the services of intellect; while in the latter, it is deprived of its guidance by some outside cause. Hence, it is not only not conscious of its supremacy in the latter condition, but is also affected by the paralysis of the intellect, more or less. Fascination is an instance in point.
Now, an impression of the hypnotic sort is, psychologically, a phenomenon of the same class as any other kind of idea. The difference between a suggestion given by one to oneself, that is, a mental resolve to do a certain act on a future occasion, and that
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org