Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

After indicating the essential nature of Yogic technique the author then proceeds
to classify the Vrttis. He classifies them in two ways. Firstly, in relation to our feelings
whether they are painful, pleasurable or neutral in their character. And secondly, ac-
cording to the nature of the Pratyaya which is produced in our consciousness.
Let us consider first the reaction of these Vrttis on our feelings. This reaction
according to Patanjali is either painful or not-painful. This will appear to a superficial
student a rather strange way of classifying the mental modifications. Of course, there
are certain modifications which are of a neutral character, i.e. they do not produce any
pleasurable or painful reaction in our mind. When, for example, we notice a tree while
walking, it is a mere sensuous perception which does not arouse any pleasurable or
painful feeling within us. The vast majority of our sensuous perceptions which result
in the modification of the mind are of this neutral character. They have been classed as
‘not-painful’.
But there are other modifications of the mind which do arouse a pleasurable or
painful feeling within us. For example, when we taste some palatable article of food,
or see a beautiful sunset or smell a rose there is a distinct feeling of pleasure. On the
other hand, when we see a horrible sight or hear a cry of anguish the resulting trans-
formation of the mind is definitely painful. Why has then Patanjali classified all such
modifications of the mind which arouse some feeling within us as painful? The reason
for this is given in II-15 in connection with the philosophy of Klesas. It will suffice to
mention here that according to the theory of Klesas upon which the Yogic philosophy
is based, all pleasurable and painful experiences are really painful to the people who
have developed the faculty of discrimination and are not blinded by the illusions of the
lower life. It is our ignorance, caused by these illusions, which makes us see pleasure
in experiences which are a potential source of pain and therefore makes us run after
those pleasures. If our inner eyes were open we would see the ‘potential’ pain hidden
within these pleasures and not only when the pain is present in an ‘active’ form. We
would then see the justification for classifying all experiences which involve our feel-
ings and thus give rise to Raga and Dvesa as painful. This may appear to the student a
rather pessimistic view of life but let him withhold his judgment until he has studied
the philosophy of Klesas in Section II.
If all experiences involving our feelings are painful then it is logical to classify
the remaining experiences which are of a neutral character and do not affect our feel-