Antardarshana

CHITTA VRITTI NIRODHA

(Patanjali Yoga Sutra)

The beauty of Patanjali Maharshi’s Yoga Shastra is: You contemplate on any Sutra for a continuous period, it would reveal you the subtle meanings by taking you through the subtle experiences.

In this sutra, Chitta means mind; it is not only mind but something more than that, but for the time being, let us take it as mind; vritti means reactions; nirodha means stopping. Vaguely, the meaning of the sutra is – stopping all the reactions of the mind is called yoga. You may wonder how would I live without reacting to the situations around me. You would appreciate it as you read further.

I am talking to someone; it is a season of insects and mosquitoes. As I talk, some mosquitoe sits on my hand and starts sucking the blood. Even without looking at it, my other hand would lift up on its own, and bulldoze the mosquitoe. I don’t even hear it death cry. As if nothing has happened, I continue my talk with added ease. Just see the sequence of events a bit carefully here. A moquitoe sat on my hand, I was not aware of it, when it started sucking blood from my veins, it did not attract my awareness; but only when it was painful did I react as a robot, without realizing what it is. I am not saying whether hitting like that is good or bad.

Look at it the other way. When it sat on me, I should have been aware of its sitting; leave it, we may not be that sensitive. Atleast, when it started sucking the blood, I should have noticed. Leave even this, as we were too busy talking. When it was painful, atleast then, I should have waited for a while, thought as to what the course of action should be. There is another possibility also. I could have driven it away by giving a love puff.

This is merely an example. In our daily lives, there are hundreds of situations when we act reactionarily, like a robot, with standard commands to the sense organs, and to the reactionary mechanisms. Here when sager Patanjali talks of chitta vritti nirodha, he talks of let go of the reactionary mechanism, like hitting that which troubles you. Instead, wait for a while, bring all the events under the scanner of awareness and become aware of the whole situation without depending on the reactions of the mortised system; and, decide the course of action independent of all the influence of memories, vasana, anger, frustration, etc.

Let me take you to another example. We have named people as good or bad. Say, you have a high opinion about me. You glorify me and my image. You say that Guruji is godly. It is okay, as far as mere opinion is concerned. But see a bit closely. See how it can damage you when you really add value to this opinion. You hold on to the opinion that Guruji is godly, and the moment you see something human-making mistakes here and there-that is the day when your image about Guruji is shattered. You start avoiding that person. That way you go on making friends and breaking that partnership. This type of behavior goes on and on.

See here, what is it doing to you? Likewise, we form opinion about wife, children, officer, subordinates, relatives, about a place of living… Try to see each and every image or every opinion that you hold on to. The more dispassionately you see these opinions/image, the more free you would be. This is the precise reason why one should practice meditation. Before meditation, you must watch your mind, the contents of the mind. If an opinion about a person comes, let go. If hatred towards a form comes before you, let go. You say to yourself that you are different and the form/opinion is different. Stop supplying the energy-either for or against-to any form or opinion you hold on to.

In this way, you would become light and light. Slowly, you would get stability in sadhana. This stability would take you to the next subtle layer of your personality. The process is the same again: let go of all the forms, images, opinion. The load of chitta becomes further light. The process continues, till you are clear of all the images in the chitta, all the worries that are stored in the chitta. When all the layers become transparent, at that time you stay in atha; the infinite personality you realize, the sat-chit-ananda-svaroopa that you are; That Shiva you are. What else? You are God.

Practicing mediation and pondering over the sutras of Patanjali, would give you a base where when you react to the external world, it would not be a ‘reaction’; it would be a response. You would slowly shift from reacting to responding. That is the zone of non-stress. That way, you would not creae stress around you. So, slowly, people would recognize you, people would respect you, because the base you are operating is Truth, nothing else.

I want you to understand yoga practically, applying it to your own life, and experimenting it on every aspect of your life. Thus, finding the truth from your own point of view. Yoga is a way of life. Each and every minute, you have to experience the touch of divinity that is within you. If you want to experience that, you must live in chitta vritti nirodha. If somebody does something to you, when you get into some uneasy situations, don’t react immediately. Observe, from where the reaction is coming; what is it that is forcing you to act in a particular way? Is it because you are hurt? Is the hurt because of your ‘conditioned’ mind? Is the reaction coming from your authority? Is it because you are frustrated?

There is nothing wrong in reacting. But react after understanding the source. If you know that you are reacting because of your hurt, realize what this hurt is. That is the beginning of a new life. Otherwise, it wouldn’t help you in bringing harmony in your relationship. The same reaction would come back to you in some form or the other, today or tomorrow.

In the service of Parampara,
Sri Pattabhiram