His supremacy—constitute a very important sadhana by itself, which is the meaning
of this single sutra: tapaḥ svādhyāya Īśvarapraṇidhānāni kriyāyogaḥ (II.1).
Chapter 54PRACTICE WITHOUT REMISSION OF EFFORTThe practice mentioned is for the purpose of directing the mind slowly towards its
final achievement, and for the attenuation of all the obstacles. The difficulties that
present themselves with great intensity, ostensibly as if they are insurmountable, will
be there in that form for a long time, making it appear that perhaps they are
impossible to approach and difficult to overcome. It is the experience of all students
of yoga, and saints and sages of the past, that honey does not start flowing in the
beginning itself. One cannot see the light of day at the very commencement of the
practice. It will be like a dark sky thickly covered with black clouds, and the only
thing that one will be able to see or visualise in front of oneself are problems,
difficulties, pains, and everything that is the opposite of what one is asking or
aspiring for. It is not till very late in the day that a feeling comes within oneself that,
after all, things are not so bad as they appear.
These difficulties and pains that are consequent upon one’s strenuous effort are due
to the thick layer of samskaras and karmas which have been accumulated in oneself
since many births. The very personality of the individual is nothing but a bundle of
karmas. It is made up of only these forces, and nothing but that. It is, if we would
like to put it in that way, a heap of desires that has become this body, mind and
personality—this outlook of life, even. Everything is made up of desires. There is
nothing in us except desire. From head to foot we are made of that; every fibre of our
body is only that. The only thing is, it is sometimes visible outside as an activity of the
mind towards fulfilment, and sometimes it is present inside merely as a possibility, a
latent tendency and an urge towards a particular fulfilment, which may or may not be
conspicuous.
Long practice is the only solution. These difficulties, problems, pains, samskaras and
desires cannot be faced with any armour or apparatus that we have with us. There is
no alternative except continued practice. This is a kind of satyagraha that we are
doing with these desires, we may say. We cannot face them in battle directly because
they too are equally powerful. But, we can be persistent to such an extent that there is
no chance for them to show their heads again. The feeling that one is moving towards
one’s goal begins to rise within oneself after years and years of practice—not after
months. Of course there are masters, great heroes on the path, who must have done
this practice in previous births, such as Jnaneshwara Maharaj, Janaka, and such
great heroes of the spirit who showed signs of mastery and achievement early in age.
For others it is a torture—but it is a necessary ordeal that one has to pass through for
the sake of scrubbing out all the encrustations in the form of anything that goes to
make up this personality of ours in all its five vestures. Annamaya, pranamaya,
manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya—all these five koshas are various
densities of the manifestation of desire. There is nothing but that—like the dense
clouds which cover the bright sun and make it appear as if the sun does not exist at
all. But the kleshas, or these obstacles, become attenuated gradually due to the