Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

That is the significance of the prefix Sva in Svadhyaya. He leaves all external aids
such as books, discourses, etc. and dives into his own mind for everything he needs in
his quest.
Isvara-Pranidhana: This is usually translated as resignation to Isvara or God
but in view of the fact that the advanced practice of Isvara-Pranidhana is able to bring
about Samadhi, it is obvious that the word is used in a far deeper sense than the super-
ficial mental effort of the ordinary religious man to resign himself to the will of God.
When such a man makes a mental assertion of this kind what he really means is that
the will of God is supreme in the world over which He rules and he submits to that will
gladly, although the experience which has evoked that assertion may not be a pleasant
one. This attitude is not unlike the attitude of a loyal subject to the fiat of his king.
It is clear, however, that though this attitude of the pious individual is superior
to the common attitude of resentment towards the inevitable calamities and sufferings
of life and conduces to a peaceful state of mind, it cannot by itself take him very far
along the path of spiritual unfoldment and realization which culminates in Samadhi.
The fact that the progressive practice of Isvara-Pranidhana can ultimately lead to
Samadhi shows definitely that it signifies a much deeper process of transformation in
the Sadhaka than a mere acceptance of whatever experiences and ordeals come to him
in the course of his life.
To understand the significance and technique of Isvara-Pranidhana it is neces-
sary to recall how the Purusa gets involved in Prakrti through Avidya which results in
his becoming subject to illusion and consequent sufferings and miseries of life. As this
question has been discussed thoroughly in dealing with the theory of Klesas it is not
necessary to go into its details here, but there is one central idea bearing on the prob-
lem under consideration which may be briefly referred to in this connection. Accord-
ing to the philosophy upon which the Science of Yoga is based, the Reality within us is
free from the fundamental illusion which is responsible for the limitations and miseries
of our life. The individual consciousness or Purusa is a manifestation of that Reality.
How does he then become subject to the Great Illusion and the consequent sufferings
of the lower life? By the imposition of the ‘I’ consciousness which makes him identify
himself with his vehicles and with the environment in which his consciousness is im-
mersed. As long as this veil of Asmita or ‘I’-ness covers his true nature—Svarupa—he
remains bound by the limitations and illusions of life and the only way in which he can
regain his freedom from them is by removing this covering of ‘I’ consciousness. This