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Yoga-darshan samurachay “Many mountains stand across your path, O Jagannath! With steadfastness, travel the path, with no one as your companion. Greetings to the Jina, for whom you yearn.” - Shri Anandghanaji. First, someone who is a traveler wishes to go to a certain place, so they begin to walk on their path - they perform the act of travel. And then, while they are on their way, they continue to perform the act of travel until they reach their father’s desired place, overcoming obstacles along the way. In this process, they reach three types of places. They encounter three main types of obstacles in between: Kantak-vin, Javar-vin, and Digmeh-vin. (1) Kantak-vin means that a thorn pricks them, causing a brief moment of pain, but they continue their journey as soon as it is removed. This is the smallest, most insignificant obstacle. (2) The second is Javar-vin, where they develop a fever on the road, forcing them to stop their journey. Once the fever subsides, they continue their journey. This second obstacle is more severe than the first, it is of medium intensity. (3) The third, Digmeh-vin, is the most severe and the most significant type of obstacle. Because of a loss of direction, the traveler forgets their intended destination, they wander off the path, and they continue to face this obstacle until they find their way back to the path and reach their destination. Similarly, even while practicing the path of yoga, which includes ahimsa (non-violence), the seeker, the yogi, encounters these insignificant, medium, and significant types of obstacles. They overcome these obstacles and the seeker continues to move forward. For example, cold, heat, etc., are like Kantak-vin, fever, etc., are like Javar-vin, and wrong belief, which is an internal ailment, is like Digmeh-vin. They protect themselves from violating the principles of ahimsa, etc., and they continue to move forward, overcoming obstacles.
“Without overcoming obstacles, O sage, your journey will not be uninterrupted. How can you reach Shiva-puri through action, if you are unaware? Cold, heat, and external obstacles are like thorns, internal ailments are like fever, wrong belief is like a fever, and its intensity is mild, medium, or severe. The obstacles of food, seat, and victory are overcome by the guru’s grace. Obstacles cannot be overcome without knowledge and practice.” - Prabhu.
Just as a skilled gardener carefully nurtures and protects a delicate plant from its cradle, so too does the seeker, the mumukṣu, carefully nurture and protect the delicate plant of ahimsa, etc., with the help of right conduct, which is like the cradle.