RAJ YOGA As taught by SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

As we know All the orthodox systems in Indian Philosophy have one goal in view, i.e. the liberation of soul through perfection and so in this book we are going learn methods and  practices of meditation and pranayam to know our internal us and to persue knowledge which can give us eternal happiness.

So basically Raj Yoga is science which teaches us how to gain the power of concentration to conquer our internal nature.

Introduction:

 Swami Vivekananda says that knowledge is based upon experience. Basically we easily believe in anything when someone gives us results based on experiments and reasoning which satiates us.  that means until and unless we will not work on ourself we will not practice it by our own, we will fail to experience it and thus it will be difficult for us to believe on yoga so it is necessary to practice it regularly and patiently.

 Now the question arises: Has religion any such basis or not?

 Answering this Swami Vivekananda says that, what religion taught all over the world is said to be based upon faith and belief, and in the most cases only on different sets of theories, that is the reason we find all religions quarrelling with one another thinking their's religion is superior.

 Swamiji has given here examples of Christ, Budhha and Rishis that how they experienced certain truths, saw them and came in contact with them.

 Now,  I am sure that it is clear to all of us that all religions of the world have been built upon that one universal  and adamantine foundation of all our knowledge i.e. direct experience .

 In modern times, a peculiar claim is made that these experiences are impossible at the present day, that were only possible with a few men, who were the firt founders of the religion, but Swami Vivekananda completely deny this. He believes that if there has been one experience in this world in particular branch of knowledge, it absolutely follows that, the experience has been possible millions of times before and will be repeated eternally.

 Uniformity is the rigorous law of nature, what once happened can happen always.

 Today following religion is just become a trend, there has been more bloodshed in the world in the name of god than any other reason. People just wanted to give a mental assent to the customs of their forefathers, and wanted others to do the same. What right does anyone have to say that they have soul if they doesn't feel it, they believe in god, but haven't seen yet. If there is god than we must see it, and if soul than perceive it otherwise it is better to be a atheist than a hypocrite.

One a very practical example what we here from our teachers is same given here that if you want to become an astronomer and you sit down and cry "Astronomy!  Astronomy!" It will never come to you. A certain method must be followed, you have to go to observatory, take a telescope, study stars and planets and then you will become an astronomer. Each science have its own method.

So the Raja Yoga is science that proposes a practical and scientifically worked out method of reaching this truth and to  experience mental peace, analyse mind and illumine facts for us and this can be attained by power of attention, when guided and directed towards the internal world.

Why most of us don't know about this is because from childhood upwards we have been taught only to pay attention on external things, hence most of us has lost the faculty of observing the internal mechanism. To turn the mind, as it were, inside, stop it from going outside and then to concentrate all its powers, and throw them upon mind itself in order that it may know its own nature and to analyse itself is very hard work.

the end name of all science is to find the unity, the one out of which the manifold is being manufactured, that one existing as many. raj yoga proposes to start from the internal world to study internal nature and through that control the whole both internal and external.

THE FIRST STEPS:

The Raja yoga is divided into eight steps.

Yama

Niyama

Asana

Pranayam

Pratyahara

Dharna

Dhyan

Samadhi

YAMA means non, killing,truthfulness, non stealing continence, and non receiving of any gifts.

NIYAMA cleanliness, contentmeant, austerity study and selrsurrender to god.

Yama & Niyama are moral trainings and are the basis without which yoga can't be practiced.

 ASANA posture

 A series of exercises, physical and mental is to be practiced everyday.

 For performing long duration meditation a posture should be find which is the easiest to remain.

 One thing is necessary for the posture is to hold the spinal column free, sit erect, holding the three parts- the chest, neck and head in a straight line.

after one has learn,to have a firm posture one has to do a practice called purifying of the nerves.

 PRANAYAMA control of Pran.

 PRATYAHARA restraint of the senses from their objects.

DHARANA, fixing the mind on a spot.

DHYANA, means meditation

SAMADHI, superconsciousness