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A Letter IN simple words, in a
plain manner you want to know the meaning of Yoga. You have asked me not to use
highly philosophical terms, but just to make you understand the real purport of
Yoga in a few words. I shall try my best, but before that I would like to tell
you something. Difficult matters cannot be explained as easily as easy ones. It
is quite natural that a thing above the common cannot
be brought down to the level of common understanding, nor is it advisable to do
so. To do that is to help the common in their idleness. There is always some
usefulness in acquiring a thing by the sweat of one's brow. One can derive
much benefit from such labour. Instead of trying to bring down the uncommon to
the level of the common, it would be better to try to mould the common after
the uncommon, if needed, even at the cost of some effort. However, it must also
be admitted that it is not always necessary to court useless toil on that
account. Often we look at the uncommon in too excessive proportions, and make
it almost inaccessible to our understanding. Specially
about Yoga what you have said is quite true. Generally
we take Yoga for something quite mysterious. It is because we associate Yoga
with many complex, un-understandable rites and consider these as its main and inseparable
parts. In fact, Yoga is a quite natural thing if we turn to it in the right
manner. All ought to practise Yoga and all without exception can do that. Not
only that, all are doing Yoga, if not consciously. Sadhana, spiritual practice,
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consists in bringing out the undercurrent
flowing within oneself, in doing consciously what one's inner nature demands. In short, Yoga is an attempt at
discovering a new 'Law of Life', and after that discovery one has to mould and
regulate one's life in accordance with it. This Law of Life is nothing other
than the Law of Divine Life. What does it mean? It means that in a human being
there are two planes, two kinds of nature and two laws of life – one belongs to
the lower region, the other to the higher, one belongs to the terrestrial, the
other to the supraterrestrial. This earth of clay or the lower region possesses
body; life and mind. Man moves about according to the laws and customs,
bondages and limitations of body, life and mind. But there exists a world, a
plane above these three; and there the; knowledge of man does not depend on
gross physical sensations or on syllogistic reasonings. There the knowledge is
self-revealing, undeformed and infallible. It is called Intuition, Revelation.
There the restless wild urge of action or blind agitations of numberless
sensations have turned into a calm spiritual power and an unalloyed delight.
And that plane too has a body of its own. But it is absolutely free from
disease, decay and death that we find in the physical being. To leave aside the
laws of body, life and mind and rise into the highest spiritual nature is
called Yoga. But don't think, in doing Yoga you shall have to do away with this
body, life and mind and keep aloof from the world and the earthly concerns.
This theory is an absurdity on the face of it. The higher world can be
contacted even while remaining in the body, life and mind, and it can also be
infused into these three. The lower nature can be moulded by the infusion and
the law of the higher. While residing in the world all earthly activities can
be directed by the drive of that higher world. It is a difficult task, but not impossible. It seems to be an impossibility or a mere ideal only, when I look upon myself alone, and think that I am a little, insignificant
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– how can I have the power to change the process of Nature that has been active
from time immemorial? Will it be possible to do so even in hundreds of lives?
But is it not that a ray of hope peeps into me the moment I cast a glance at
the universe without taking me into account? We admit nowadays the law of
evolution preached by the West. According to that law of evolution there existed Matter first in the creation, and then appeared the
animal, finally the human being. That is to say, the Western science has
recognised, in the first instance, evolution on lower planes of Nature. First body, then life and then mind. But nothing can be as
absurd and illogical as to say that the evolution of Nature has stopped after
reaching the mental level. In fact, Yoga tells us that above the mental level
there is a plane called Supermind and above man there is Superman. All
Nature is anxious to give birth to the Supermind, and we too, all human beings,
have been making the same effort, although unconsciously. Behind your power and
mine, behind your effort and mine there resides an enormous power of the whole
universe, and that power is aspiring for the divine manifestation in humanity,
for the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth .and the Divine Play of
the Golden Age. When that universal Power reveals itself to our sight, and when
we are able to recognise it and consciously collaborate with it, there can be
nothing beyond our reach.
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