What is Yogashchittavrittinirodhah ?
3 Mar 2020 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
Yoga is the science of life. It is ancient science with more than 15,000 historical scripture mentioned in Rig Veda, first sacred text of the world. But as a first pure and authentic text is Yoga Darshna out of Shata-darshan (six eastern philosophies) written or designed by Maharshi Patanjali. Today whatever practice all over the world is based on this Yoga philosophy. This is the first recommended yogic text. More about Yogashchittavrittinirodhah.
Before this so many descriptions and commentaries were partially or briefly touched or scripted in different texts such as Vedas, Upanishada, Samkhya Yoga Darshana, etc. We give here in Himalayan Yoga Academy basic concept about sacred texts and the yogic message to Human being.
Yoga Darshana is the complete text of Yoga for beginning levels to higher levels of practitioners and readers. It has 195 verses and divided into four chapters. When Maharshi Patanjali made a plan to write this philosophy, firstly he started from “Atha Yogaanushaasanam” that means now the discipline of yogic science begins. Immediately he formulated the definition of Yoga“Yogashchittavrittinirodhah”P. Y 1.2. in second verse. Here in our Himalayan Yoga Academy we focus the different authentic and sacred definitions mentioned in sacred and holy texts.
Yoga is “Yogashchittavrittinirodhah”that means the cessation of modifications of thoughts in chitta or Mind; that is Yoga. Chitta is more about the Mind. Chitta includes Mind, Egos, Intellects and Consciousness all together. Yoga is in fact, concern to Mind and further more supreme consciousness, but no concern to the body. Body is something, just the foundation, or device for higher practice.Yoga is the ability to direct the mind exclusively toward an object and sustain that direction without any distractions.
“Yogashchittavrittinirodhah” – Yoga + Sh + Chitta + Vritti + Nirodhah: Yoga means the cessation of fluctuated thoughts in chitta. Chitta is a composition of four fundamentals e.g. mind, ego, intellect and consciousness. Maharshi Patanjali gives his formal definitions of yoga for the classical school of Yoga itself: Yoga is stilling of the changing states of the mind or stilling of all thought.
The commentators have packed a considerable amount of rather dense information into their commentaries in this Yoga darshana/ Sutra, since Maharshi Patanjali has basically defined and summarized the entire system of Yoga here, and the commentaries use this Darshana to lay out the infrastructures of the psychology and metaphysics of the Yoga process. Yoga is the state of devoid by calming, reducing, and stilling the unwanted and excess thoughts. Furthermore rest 193 verses are so well formulated and channelized for the ultimate goals.