Patanjali: ancient scientist
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Astronomy
Anil K Rajvanshi, June 14, 2023: The Times of India
Patanjali was a true scientist, who gave the first knowledge about the control of human thought and mind, and about universal laws that govern time and space. His Yoga Sutras have gems of scientific knowledge buried in them. He also talked about stars.
There are 195 sutras in Patanjali’s book, divided in four sections. Only three sutras in the third section, Vibhuti Pada, are directly connected to stars, that is sutras 3:27-29. And in these very precise sutras, Patanjali talks about space and the movement of planets. There might have been more sutras on stars and planets, but somehow, they have been lost with time.
In Vibhuti Pada, sutra 3:27, Patanjali says that by doing Sanyam on sun, one obtains knowledge of the Universe and Akash, celestial spaces. Sanyam, according to Patanjali, is a combination of focus, contemplation, and samadhi. The verse presents an interesting concept, since the focus of Akash is far removed from the life-giving rays of the sun, which come in various frequencies. Besides, the sun also emits other cosmic rays and particles. Maybe Patanjali conjectured that the knowledge of the sun and how it produces energy may tell us everything about atomic energy, plasma physics, gravity, and other deep sciences and, hence, the focus on the Universe in this sutra.
It can also be conjectured that he may have meant space-time continuum or gravity, since what pervades in all space is gravity and if sanyam is done on the sun, the greatest gravity source in our solar system, then we may understand space-time continuum, or the nature of gravity.
In Indian mythology, the sun occupies an important place. Quite many temples are dedicated to Sun God. Rig Ved also has many hymns about the sun and Usha, dawn. Both play an important role in the Vedic system. Interestingly, the Gayatri Mantra, one of the oldest and the most revered mantras from the Rig Ved, is about the homage to the mighty sun that lights up the celestial spaces and the disciple prays that it should illuminate her intellect with its effulgence.
After all, the whole life on this planet earth came because of solar energy, and it is but natural that the ancient rishis worshipped and thought deeply about the sun. But this deep sutra of Patanjali about how space-time continuum can beunderstood by doing sanyam on sun is a remarkable testimony to the scientific understanding of Sage Patanjali. He also talks about the moon in verse 3:28 and says that by doing sanyam on moon, a yogi gets knowledge of the arrangement of planets. Newton discovered gravity by thinking how the moon goes around the earth, and the falling apple from the tree gave him the idea of gravity and about the motion of planets.
Similarly, Patanjali talks about the Pole star, verse 3:29, and says that sanyam on it will help a yogi understand the movement of all stars and planets. The Pole star through ages has been used not only for navigation on this planet earth but also to map the skies. It is unbelievable that in three short sutras Patanjali talks about the Universe, celestial space, and movement of planets and this was much before the time of Socrates, Plato, Copernicus, and Newton.
Yog Sutr
Antarayas, impediments: the nine
Hansaji Yogendra, Dec 19, 2023: The Times of India
Lose Nine Antarayas, Gain Ever-Lasting Success
In Yog Sutras 1 : 30, Patanjali delineates nine antarayas, impediments, that we encounter in life: illness, mental laziness, doubt, misplaced priorities, inattention, excessive craving, confusion about the ethical, the tendency to give up, and inability to maintain stillness. These antarayas result from extant mental states. The overarching idea is that when our minds store unpleasant thoughts, memories, and experiences, it spews psychological stress. A mind thus challenged will create anatrayas that will keep you tethered to your limited identity. Notice when you are stressed or anxious, how you begin to doubt unnecessarily and incessantly. And this samshaya, doubt, then strikes at the heart of self-identity and self-actualisation. Similarly, comfort-eating when confronted with challenging emotions is the mind creating the impediment of avirati, impulse satisfaction. Avirati is at play when we indulge in bingewatching, or create negative mental loops in our mind, disregarding the important things we need to get done.
The antaraya of bhrantidarshan has a close associate in modern psychology: cognitive bias. It is a tendency towards an emphatic avowal of one’s world-view as apt and the other as contrarian. Bhrantidarshan is the genesis of rigidity and stagnation. Such false avowal of the Self also engenders the related yet distinct antaraya of pramad, the proclivity towards the futile while keeping in abeyance all that could be life-enriching. Styana has many ramifications yet its most impairing modern acolyte is procrastination: the repeated tendency of the mind to steer away from what it perceives as challenging or emotionally enervating. While styana underlines the ordeals posed by mental laziness, the antaraya of alasya delimits physical inactivity. The Yog Sutras posit that both alasya and vyadhi, illness, occur when the mind is fraught with negativity and despondence. Sloth and disease, in yogic philosophy, stem from a mind contaminated by all that is life-draining and exhausting. ‘Anavasthitatva Chittavikshepa’ alludes to the abjection of anxiety that the modern mind is commonly subject to. It is the constant agitations and vexations of the mind towards what was and what will be, ignoring the tactility and the ephemerality of the present moment. Another debilitating antaraya is alabdhabhumikatva, the tendency to give up when confronted with perceived failure. Discouragement towards what we seek often stems from a feeling of stagnation, a belief that what we seek cannot be attained either because we are insignificant, or incapable. But aren’t significance and capacity functions of the mind? That is, we will be as significant or as capable as we see ourselves to be. But the antaraya of alabdhbhumikatva will block any perception of the best possible you. It forces you to operate from a place of fear. Each of the nine antarayas stem from how your mind is trained to think – conditioning. That is, the root of our distress is within us, as is the capacity to identify and rectify it. So, let’s learn to listen to the mind and discern, when it is working for us and when it is creating antarayas on our path. This will become the basis of our capacity to change with time and lay the foundation of ever-lasting success.
See also
Adi Shankara/ Sankar(a) (ancient philosopher)
Indian Philosophy: Mîmâmsâ Philosophy
Indian: Philosophy: The Kapila And The Pâtañjala Samkhya (Yoga)
