Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali

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

Page 45

YOGA AND ITS AIMS
of the mind and from that to prayer of the heart, which opens up the Kingdom of God within us."
व्याधि-स्त्यान-संशय-प्रमादालस्याविरतिभ्रान्तिदर्शनालब्धभूमिकत्वानवस्थितत्वानि
35
faafactureàscarZT: 11 30 11
30. Sickness, mental laziness, doubt, lack of enthusiasm, sloth, craving for sense-pleasure, false perception, despair caused by failure to concentrate and unsteadiness in concentration: these distractions are the obstacles to knowledge.
दुःख- दौर्मनस्याङ्गमेजयत्व- श्वासप्रश्वासा
विक्षेपसहभुवः ॥ ३१ ॥
31. These distractions are accompanied by grief, despondency, trembling of the body and irregular breathing.
It will be noticed that nearly all distractions listed by Patanjali come under the general heading of tamas. Sloth is the great enemy-the inspirer of cowardice, irresolution, selfpitying grief, and trivial, hair-splitting doubts. Sloth may also be a psychological cause of sickness. It is tempting to relax from our duties, take refuge in ill-health and hide under a nice warm blanket. The body resists all unaccustomed disciplines, and will perhaps try to sabotage them by alarming, hysterical displays of weakness, fainting spells, violent headaches, palpitations, and so forth. This resistance is subconscious. The symptoms it produces are genuine enough. It is no good trying to fight them by sheer force-dragging yourself out of bed and staggering around in a fever. But you can attack your sloth on the subconscious level by quiet persistence in making japam. You are never too weak or too sick for that. And sloth will relax its hold upon you, little by little, when it understands that you really mean business.
When an aspirant enters upon the spiritual life, he naturally does so with great enthusiasm. The first steps he takes are