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TULSI-PRAJNA, Sept., 1990
practise of yoga. Both kinds of health---mental and physical necessary for survival and that can be achieved through yoga only, As it is stated that "manaḥ eva manușyāṇām kāraṇam bandhamokşayoh.”
The realization of the true nature of Ātman or the identity between jīva (soul) and the absolute reality (Brabman) is the purpose of yoga. With reference to a comman man, the identity betwenn himself and others must be maintanined through the practise of yoga then only the purpose of survival of a man on this earth will be fulfilled. And to know the true nature of himself (Āiman) can be realized only by the control of mental states. As Patañjali states in his ‘yogasūtra' “yogaścittavsttinirodhah”. 2
Mind is the product of Praksti (nature) and composite of three guņas, namely, intelligence-stuff (sattva), energy stuff (rajas) and mass stuff (tamas) with a predominance of the first. Because of this predominance, mind is translucent and is able to reflect the consciousness which is the spirit. It is mind which receives this reflection and that becomes the experiment, it knows, feels, and wills through the appropriate modes of its own.
Mind has infinite modifications (vịttis) and these modifications can be divided into five categories, namely, true cognition (Pramāņa), erroneous cognition (Viparyaya), imagination (Vikalpa), sleep (nidrā) and memory (Smrti). In a state when all these five modifications of mind) submerge (or become obstructed) it is known as yoga With reference to a man when one pratises yoga and through yoga his mind becomes obstructed (of modifications of mind) then he helps others or himself in achiving his good of life i.e. to know the true nature of himself. For exanple : as in the river many waves come out through the waters and again submerge into it, in the sameway, mind has many emotions, namely, desire, greed, anger, disguist etc. (born in the mind) and when these emotions are controlled, an aspirant realizes his true nature, that is, pure self. As in the water, which is shaking, an object
get its reflection properly, when the same water is steady and calm an object gets its reflection. In the samemay, soul gets reflected in the mind when it is free from emotions.
In order to liberate the soul from bendage mind must be rid of its afflictions. The basic discipline which will effect this riddance is ethical training. The energy stuff and the mass stuff of the mind should gradually be reduced, and allow the natural inteligence stuff to shine.
There are eight elements by which mind can be cleansed. They
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