Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

hinders the full expression of that life or offers impediments in the exercise of the ve-
hicle's functions. Purity is, therefore, nothing absolute, only functional and related to
the next stage of evolution which life is seeking to attain. Purification, therefore,
means elimination from the vehicles belonging to an individual of all those elements
and conditions which prevent them from exercising their proper functions and attain-
ing the goal in view. For the Yogi this goal is Self-realization through the merging of
his individual consciousness with the Consciousness of the Supreme or the attainment
of Kaivalya in terms of the Yoga-sutra. Purification for the Yogi, therefore, means spe-
cifically the maintenance and transformation of the vehicle in such a manner that they
can serve increasingly to bring about this unification.
Purity, though it is functional, depends to a great extent upon the quality of the
material of which a particular vehicle of consciousness is composed. The functional
efficiency of the vehicle depends not only upon its structural organization but also
upon the nature of the material incorporated in it. The expression of consciousness
through a vehicle may be compared to the production of different kinds of sounds by a
piece of stretched metallic wire. We know that the sound which is produced depends
upon three factors, the nature of the metal, the structure (diameter and length) of the
wire and the tension to which it is subjected. In the same way the capacity of a vehicle
to respond to different states of consciousness depends upon its material, its structural
complexity which increases as a result of evolution, and its sensitiveness.
The reason why the material of the vehicle determines to a certain extent its vi-
brational capacity lies in the fact that quality of material and vibrational capacity are
indissolubly linked in nature, each kind of material responding to a limited range of
vibrations. So, if we want to bring down into the lower vehicles the high and subtle
vibrations corresponding to the deeper layers of human consciousness we must provide
in them the right and corresponding type of material.
All the lower vehicles of a Jivatma are constantly changing and purification
consists in gradually and systematically replacing the comparatively coarse material of
the bodies by a more refined type of material. In the case of the physical body purifi-
cation is a comparatively simple matter and may be brought about by supplying to the
body the right kind of material in the form of food and drink. According to the Hindu
system of Yogic culture foods and drinks are divided into three classes—Tamasic, Ra-
jasic and Sattvic and only those which are considered Sattvic are allowed to the Yogi
who is building a pure and refined physical vehicle. Meat, alcohol and so many other