Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

We have seen in the previous Sutra that human life is a continuous series of
experiences brought about by setting in motion certain causes which are followed
sooner or later by their corresponding effects, the whole process thus being an uninter-
rupted play of actions and reactions. The question naturally arises: ‘When and how
does this process of accumulating Samskaras begin and how can it be ended?’ We are
bound to the wheel of births and deaths on account of Vasanas which result in experi-
ences of various kinds and these in their turn generate more Vasanas. We seem to be
facing one of those philosophical riddles which seem to defy solution. The answer
given by Patanjali to the first part of the question posed above is that this process of
accumulating Samskaras cannot be traced to its source because the ‘will to live’ or the
‘desire to be’ does not come into play with the birth of the human soul but is charac-
teristic of all forms of life through which consciousness has evolved in reaching the
human stage. In fact, the moment consciousness comes into contact with matter with
the birth of Avidya and the Klesas begin to work, Samskaras begin to form. Attractions
and repulsions of various degrees and kinds are present even in the earliest stages of
evolution—mineral, vegetable and animal—and an individual who attains the human
stage after passing through all the previous stages brings with him all the Samskaras of
the stages through which he has passed, though most of these Samskaras lie dormant in
a latent condition. Animal traits are recognized even by Western psychology as present
in our subconscious mind, and the occasional emergence of these traits belonging to
the lower stages is due to the presence within us of all the Samskaras which we have
gathered in our evolutionary development. That is why, as soon as the control of the
Higher Self temporarily disappears or slackens owing to heigehtned emotional distur-
bances or other causes, human beings begin to behave like beasts or even worse than
beasts. That, incidentally, shows the necessity of keeping a rigid control over our mind
and emotions because once this is completely lost there is no knowing what undesir-
able Samskaras which have been lying dormant through the ages may become active
and make us do things for which we may have to repent afterwards. History provides
many instances of the recrudescence of such traits in human beings and the temporary
reversion to the animal stage. It is true that the human, animal, vegetable and mineral
kingdoms are clearly defined and are separate stages of evolution and there can be no
retrogression, from one kingdom to another, but as far as Samskaras are concerned
they may be considered to be continuous and the human stage may be considered as
the summation and culmination of the previous stages.