Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

Author(s): Prabhavnanda Swami, Christopher Isherwood
Publisher: Ramkrishna Math Madras

Page 32

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PATANJALI YOGA SUTRAS
Shakespeare has described this recurring process of attraction and aversion in one of his most powerful sonnets:
Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight;
Past reason hunted; and no sooner had, Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait On purpose laid to make the taker mad......
It follows, therefore, that when the samskaras have been rooted out and destroyed-as they must be before the state of perfect yoga is achieved—there will no longer be any urge toward rebirth. He who achieves yoga is said to be "liberated." When his present life ends, he will be united with the Atman forever. However, the achievement of perfect yoga does not necessarily mean the immediate end of mortal life. Saints have reached the supreme spiritual experience and continued to live on for many years. They have continued to think, speak and act on the plane of external phenomena-but with a difference. The thoughts, words, and actions of a liberated man are said to be like "burnt seeds"-that is to say, they are no longer fertile; they cannot bring forth any more samskaras, they cannot create any new addiction or bondage.
In Sanskrit, a mental or physical act is called a Karma. Karma is also the word used to describe the consequence of this act, and hence to describe what we call "fate"-since our fate is nothing but the sum of the consequences of our past actions in this and previous lives. After a man has achieved liberation in yoga, his acts will cease to produce karmas. The remainder of his earthy life will be governed only by the karmas which were already in existence before his liberation. He is like an actor on the last night of a play. He knows that the play will never be performed again, no matter how well he does his part, no matter whether the audience boos or applauds. He has nothing to gain or lose by his performance. Nevertheless, he must play it through to the end until the final curtain falls and he can go home.