Pushkarmuni Abhinandan Granth

Author(s): Devendramuni, A D Batra, Shreechand Surana
Publisher: Rajasthankesari Adhyatmayogi Upadhyay Shree Pushkar Muni Abhinandan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 956

Yoga : Personality, Mind and Vairagya
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found out. There are three main varieties of personality measurement, such as-(i) the life-record method, (ii) self-rating, and (iii) objective test method. No single test is sufficient to bring out a complete picture of personality. Hence a battery of such tests is generally employed.
Various dimensions have been studied by investigators of personality. They are, to mention a few, the somatic dimensions, dimensions of aptitude, dimensions of temperament, biological drives and so on.
In some sense, it is the job of the science of personality to analyse human behaviour with a view to arrive at the basic principles, and then to show as to how behaviour is to be modified in order to achieve what may be called the most desirable or ideal personality. I think, Psychology and its mother Philosophy, have both failed in this dual task, which is one of their primary objectives. Otherwise there would not be so much hypocrisy, exploitation, tension, war and superstition in the world in the which we live.
Is there any other discipline which can fulfil these two needs of humanity, namely, understanding the basic principles which govern human behaviour, and then showing a practical way of moulding human behaviour for realising the ideal personality ? In relation to this question it may be said that Yoga, it is being realised more and more, is coming forward as that discipline or art or science of personality which humanity needs very badly today,
The ancient Indian view of personality may be summarized in the language of the Kathopanisad (1. iii. 3 to 9) in the following manner :
"The human body is like a chariot, having the buddhi as its charioteer, and the atman as the person travelling in that chariot. The mind provides the reins to control the horses, which are the indriyas, the objects of enjoyment being the territory to be traversed. The atman along with the senses and mind is called the experiencer (bhokta). When the mind is filled with avidya, it cannot be applied properly, and under this situation the senses act like uncontrolled horses. But when the mind gets filled with right knowledge (vidyā), it can be applied properly, so that the senses are fully under its control like trained horses, and such a person reaches the highest state, which is the goal of life."
This is, in sum, the Yoga view of personality, which is found described also in the Maitrāyani Upanişad (II. 6), and Mahabharata (Vana-parvan, 211. 23 to 27). It may be said that the main emphasis in Yoga has always been on the goal of human life, that is to say, the state of liberation or emancipation. It is a basic view-point of Yoga that the life of an individual on the earth (sarnsära) is overwhelmingly sorrowful. In fact, having to be born is itself looked upon as one of the most dreaded things, and a complete fullstop to the cycle of rebirths once and for all is the sole and ultimate concern of all the techniques that go to form the Yoga discipline. Thus the normal everyday personality of an individual, which is the most important sphere of investigation in modern approaches to personality, seems to have received hardly any attention in Yoga. Out of the five possible states of mind, called 'chittabhoomi's namely, mugdha, kşipta, vikșipta, ekāgra, and niruddha, only the last two are the concern of Yoga. And how many of us can have their minds go into these two states of stillness ?
The actual jurisdiction of Yoga has thus ever remained extremely restricted to a handful of people. Perhaps it was this situation that caused Lord Krishna to declare in the Gitā that the tradition of Yoga started by him in the beginning of creation by imparting its knowledge first of all to Vivaswāna, the Sun God, got lost, and vanished after some time. Thus in the strict sense Yoga may be called the science of the 'ideal personality'. And this science of personality has ever been without any significance, so far as the common man was concerned.
But things are showing a tremendous improvement over the past two decades. The practice of Yoga is spreading to all classes of the society, and it is becoming more and more evident that Yoga is not for the chosen few, as it used to be thought; it is a thing from which everyone of us can derive some benefit. Importance of Yoga as a system of exercise, and as a therapy has now come to be established. And development of personality seems to be a more fruitful