Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

out into publicity to proclaim any unusual ability or power that he may acquire cannot
understand how any person can possess some of the most extraordinary Yogic powers
and yet not even let other people know that he is in any way different from other peo-
ple. He, therefore, naturally concludes that because such powers have never been ex-
hibited in public under test conditions, they either do not exist or those who can exer-
cise them are no longer living in the world. But a careful study of history and other
relevant literature will prove conclusively that such powers have been exercised by
people in practically all ages. And a persistent search among people who are in this
line may also convince the student that there are people living in the present who can
exercise these powers even though they may be difficult to find and may refuse to
show these powers to any except those who are their tried and trusted disciples. Of
course, there are present everywhere charlatans who pose as Yogis and dupe gullible
people to serve their selfish and nefarious ends. There are also people who have ac-
quired some of the lower Siddhis and who go about making an exhibition of these for
the satisfaction of their petty vanities or for earning money. Though these people pose
as great Yogis their vanity and worldly attitude betrays them and reveals their true
status in Yogic life. The practice of higher Yoga and the unfoldment of spiritual life are
the only sure means of coming into touch with true Yogis who are masters of this Sci-
ence of sciences and who can undoubtedly exercise all the Siddhis mentioned in the
Yoga-Sutras.
The second important point to be borne in mind with regard to Siddhis is that
their modus operandi can be explained only on the basis of Yogic psychology and
those who try to fit into the extremely superficial and rather materialist framework of
modern psychology the grand and all-inclusive facts of Yogic Science try to attempt an
impossible task. Modern Science in the first flush of achievement, and owing to the
capacity to produce spectacular results in the field of physical phenomena, may pre-
sume to pronounce judgments on the fundamental problems of life but as it knows
practically nothing about these facts of the inner life its verdicts and opinions about
them have no value except in the eyes of those who are, for the time being, hypno-
tized by the materialistic philosophy and are satisfied with a purely materialistic inter-
pretation of the Universe.
This is not the place to deal at any length with the psychology upon which the
whole structure of Yogic Science is based. The student will have to piece together the
elements of this psychology from the relevant Sutras scattered throughout the book