07 Oct 2025

Datta Vedaantah - Yoga Parva: Chapter-8: Yoga Vicaara Jnaanam

Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only

(Knowledge of the Analysis of Yoga)

Jump to other chapters

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

So far the object to be attained, which is God (Brahman) and the subject or the item that is attaining object, which is soul (Jiiva), are discussed and now the way of attainment (Yoga) is discussed. The word Yoga comes from the root word ‘Yuj’, which means the way of attainment (attainer, attainment and attained make the triad or triputi). The word Yoga simply means attainment and does not clarify about what is attained, who is the attaining subject and how is it attained? The attained object is God or God’s grace. The attaining subject is the individual soul existing as a human being. The path of attainment is Yoga that is described here.
Since Yoga simply means attainment, it is always associated with the name of the object attained. Dhana Yoga means attainment of money or wealth. Putra Yoga means attainment of issues. Kalatra Yoga means attainment of wife. Here, in spiritual knowledge, Yoga means the attainment of grace of God by which anything including God can be attained. Hence, we have to fix this word Yoga only to the attainment of the grace of God and we need not worry about the item to be attained by the grace of God since it makes us eligible to attain even God by which the soul becomes God.
Becoming God may involve monism or dualism. If it is monism, God merges with the soul so that the soul becomes God and this is called as Kaivalyam, which means that God and soul merge to become one item only that is God. The soul and God may be joined together like two metallic rods welded together and this is through dualism called Saayujyam (joining together), in which soul is not isolated from God (Apruthakkarana). The former is monistic incarnation like Krishna and the latter is dualistic incarnation like Balaraama, who is welded with God. Both are incarnations and in fact, dualistic incarnation is greater than monistic incarnation. In the former, the soul becomes master (Balaraama is the elder brother of Krishna) whereas in the latter, God and soul become equal by merging with each other.
Saalokyam means that the soul enters the world of devotees of God to develop devotion. As the devotion is developed more and more, the soul becomes more and more close to God and this is called Saamiipyam. The divinity of God is attained by the soul step by step and this is called Saarupyam or Saadharmyam. Dualism exists in Saalokyam, Saamiipyam, Saaruupyam and Saayujyam, which are gradual stages of the fruit (dualistic incarnation) as proposed by Raamanuja. Madhva proposed only service to God maintaining perfect dualism with God at any step. Shankara proposed the Kaivalyam as seen in monistic incarnation.
The concept of Madhva shall be always kept by the human being- component even in the monistic incarnation as long as dualism exists. If monism is perfectly achieved, the second human being-component becomes inert and only the God-component remains and in such case the monism is inevitable. The aim of the soul must be always to become the servant of God forever and Hanuman should be kept as ideal in this concept. The soul will never become incarnation as long as it aspires to become monistic or dualistic incarnation and this aspiratioin is the basic disqualification.
Becoming servant of God itself is the divine fruit of the grace of God. Attainment of a fruit will not have another fruit as its fruit. Getting the opportunity to serve God itself is the ultimate fruit, which can’t have any other fruit. You can’t aspire salary for doing the work of drawing your salary! Your aim shall be always to please God by your service and not to please yourself by it. Aspiration of any fruit in return for your service to Him will break your bond that is forming with God. In such case, your bond is with the fruit aspired by you and not with God. This is the most fundamental point in achieving Yoga (grace of God).
In these days, the word Yoga is highly confused since we find this word used even for physical exercises to achieve good physical health. Of course, we can’t deny such usage also because the word Yoga here means simply attainment of physical health in view of the application of the definition of the word Yoga. Yoga also means the application of the definition of a word derived from its root word. Ruudhi means fixing the derived meaning of word in a specific item only. Pankajam by yoga means that which is born from mud and this word can be used by its definition to mean the lotus flower or nutshell since both are born from mud. But, by Ruudhi this word means the lotus flower only and such fixation of a word in a specific item only through definition is called Yoga-ruddhi. Similarly, the word Yoga is fixed in the attainment of God’s grace through its definition. Hence, such physical exercise can’t be called as Yoga.
Unless Avidyaa or ignorance is removed by the true spiritual knowledge, the soul will be travelling in wrong path only either in divine life or materialistic life. The first step to be concentrated for a long time is to attain the correct knowledge confirmed by sharp and deep analysis as proposed by Shankara (Jñānādeva tu kaivalyam). Unless the correct path is known by correct knowledge, what is use of subsequent devotion proposed by Ramanuja and subsequent service with sacrifice proposed by Madhva? If you know the correct path, even slow journey by walking will lead you to the correct goal. If the correct path is not known, you will never reach the correct goal even by a fast journey using fast speed-vehicle.
Shankara told that by knowledge itself, goal is attained. But, knowledge generates devotion and devotion generates practical action to reach the goal. Here, the first step (generation of knowledge) is very important because as soon as knowledge is attained, the devotion and subsequent practice are spontaneously generated one after the other. In reaction kinetics, if A generates B and B generates C, the rate of overall generation of A generating C depends on the rate of slowest step since the other step is spontaneous. If A to B is the slowest step and B to C is spontaneous, the overall reaction A to C totally depends on the rate of A to B only.
Knowledge (Jnaana Yoga) is the fundamental step to know the correct direction for which you have to put lot of effort for a long time to catch the correct guide, who can be the Sadguru or contemporary human incarnation only. Arjuna was in wrong path by refusing to fight in the war, but, with the help of the true knowledge, the Gita, given by Krishna, he came to the correct path. Then, the generated true knowledge creates theoretical interest called devotion (Bhakti Yoga), the proof of which is sacrifice and service (Karma Yoga) to be done is generated finally. In the same sequence, Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva came as the three incarnations of the three divine forms of God Datta (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma).
When you hear the details of Mumbai (Jnaana Yoga), you develop interest in your mind to go and see it (Bhakti Yoga). After these two theoretical phases, you will enter finally into action (Karma Yoga), which consists of two sub-steps:- 1) Spending money to purchase ticket to the city (Karma Phala tyaaga) and 2) taking up the train journey to the city (Karma samnyaasa). Rukmini obtained all the correct details about Krishna from sage Naarada (Jnaana Yoga), then, developed interest in Krishna to marry Him (Bhakti Yoga) and then finally implemented the action to run away with Him (Karma Yoga). This is the sequential procedure to achieve the goal in worldly life or in spiritual life.
All these three steps are equally important and if any step is neglected, one will not reach the goal. The fruit always comes after action only and hence, Karma Yoga is the mango plant. Jnaana Yoga is the water and Bhakti Yoga is the manure. Without water, the plant will die and without manure the plant will not grow in to tree to yield the fruit. Sticking to one step only without caring for the other two steps is utter foolishness of the ignorance. One has to give equal importance and respect to the three divine preachers to achieve the correct goal. Foolish people become disciples of one preacher only criticizing the other two preachers to reach the hell forever.
Some spiritual people confine the word Yoga to a specific procedure involving Kundalini and Chakras to attain miraculous powers following the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali without understanding its essence, which is pictorially represented by him. Kundalini means the mind or nervous energy travelling in the form of waves like serpent. The curved journey is necessary to cross the rotating wheels or chakras (worldly bonds are like whirlpools standing as obstructions to the swimmer of this world-sea), which cut the mind, if travels straight. These wheels are also depicted as lotus flowers that catch the black bee (ignorant soul).
See the climax of ignorance! A devotee, unable to grasp the represented essence, cuts the back of his wife to see these wheels associated with the back spinal cord! These worldly bonds (wheels) are said to be associated with the spinal cord (rope of bundled nerves), which means that these bonds are not inert but related to non-inert awareness represented by the cord. If the mind travels straight, these whirlpools catch the swimmer to rotate him for some time giving entertainment and finally drown him to death! The swimmer has to take a curved wave-journey to avoid these whirlpools, which means that you have to avoid the influence of these worldly bonds not by dealing them straight, but, by dealing in curved cunning way of external acting.
One need not fear that avoiding the worldly bonds through false love shown to them is a sin. The Veda says that any worldly bond is loving you for its happiness only to be derived from you and not for your happiness (Ātmanaḥ kāmāya...). Hence, every worldly bond is based on cheating only! Only the bond with God is the real love since He loves you for your welfare and not for any benefit from you since He is omnipotent. For the sake of attaining the grace of the embodiment of real love (God), cheating the cheating bonds is not a sin. This is Nivrutti. But, in Pravrutti, you shall not cheat the legal worldly bond for the sake of an illegal worldly bond, which is a terrible sin.
In fact, one need not put any effort to drop these worldly bonds because they drop away spontaneously in natural way as soon as one tastes God. As soon as one tastes the divine nectar, the tastes of all worldly drinks drop away without a trace of effort. In such case, what is the need of dropping these worldly bonds through cheating since any way, they will drop away once God is tasted? You are perfectly correct. But, before tasting God, some effort is to be put up to attain God, which is like learning the true spiritual knowledge, developing devotion to God with practical proof etc. For this initial effort, some time is required for the sake of which you have to be away from the worldly bonds temporarily by putting some initial effort.
The legal life-partner is more afraid about God than the illegal bond that attracts a person. The illegal bond can be dropped through preaching the concept of sin and its subsequent punishment. In the case of God, there is no such possibility since it is told that there is no sin in leaving the legal bond for the sake of God (Sarvadharmān… Gita). For the sake of initial effort to be done to taste God, the legal bonds also have to be left for some time and the legal bonds will stand as obstructions for this temporary sacrifice also in the initial stage. A devotee was daily attending the preaching of Paramahamsa for a very short span of time daily and his wife was quarrelling with him daily for his coming late to the house!
The worldly bonds have to be left for some time at least to put efforts to taste God. One can leave the worldly bonds temporarily by telling the truth, in which case the worldly bond will be hurt to put more efforts to stop the person from tasting God. The best procedure in such case is to cheat even the legal worldly bond without hurting it. The above devotee of Paramahamsa shall say to his wife that he is doing more work (over time) to earn more to purchase jewellery for her! Hence, secrecy is essential in spiritual effort (Rahasyaṃ hyetaduttamam, Ātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ —Gita) at least in the initial stage. The best is that one shall start propagation of spiritual knowledge with his own family so that no initial problem exists and all the family will be really benefited and that is the true love to his family!
Shankara cheated His mother for the sake of propagation work of God by creating a crocodile in the river during His bath. Mother is the highest legal bond in Prvrutti. But, even it is based on selfish love only because the parents love and serve the child expecting service from him in the old age. Cheating any worldly bond for the sake of God is not a sin. Ramanuja left His wife because she insulted another devotee. A devotee is given more importance than God. Buddha left wife, son and wealth (the three strongest worldly bonds called Eshanaas) for the sake of initial spiritual effort, which is search for God through penance.
The bond of parents towards their children is the strongest among the alive worldly bonds like parents, relatives etc. The inert bond (with inert wealth) is used to test the strength of alive bonds. This means that such alive bond is the strongest (among all the alive bonds) to which most of the earned wealth is given. Hence, the bond with issues is the strongest alive worldly bond since all the property earned is given to issues only by parents. But, even this bond to issues is based on selfish love only since the parents expect the service from issues in old age. The parents feel jealousy when their son is caring his wife more and hence, this bond is also one of the worldly bonds only having the selfish benefit as the basis.
Krishna gave final salvation to sages (born as Gopikas) after testing their attachment to these three strongest worldly bonds after attached with God. The attachment to God is indirectly measured by the natural detachment from the worldly bonds since direct measurement of attachment is not possible. Krishna stole butter (wealth) preserved for their children testing their both bonds for wealth and children. The third strongest bond with life-partner is tested by dancing with Gopikas in midnight. Stealing the butter and dancing with Gopikas are the three acid tests of the salvation or liberation from the three strongest worldly bonds. Gopikas, who won these tests are the real winners in the path of Yoga preached by Patanjali. Once these three tests are over, Krishna neither repeated these three elsewhere in His entire life nor came back to Brundavanam again. If we understand Krishna as the final examiner of salvation, He is correctly called as Yogeswara (the guide and goal of Yoga).
The five wheels represent the inert five elements and the sixth wheel represents mind (awareness). All these represent creation having inert five elements and alive non-inert souls. The five inert elements represent the bond with inert wealth and the mind represents the alive bonds with parents etc. The first wheel (Muulaadhaara) existing in anus is related to earth or mother. The second wheel (Manipuura) existing near kidneys is related to water or father. Earth and water combined give rise to alive creation like plants, animals etc. The third wheel (Svaadhishthaana) existing in the upper stomach having hunger fire is related to fire or life partner representing the hot sex.
The fourth wheel (Anaahata) is related to air or issues, which is the strongest alive worldly bond. Air is said to be strongest in speed (Vāyurvai Kṣepiṣṭhaḥ —Veda). This wheel is in heart indicating the real place of love. Anaahata means the bond which is not beaten (crossed) by anybody so far! The fifth wheel (Vishuddha) is in throat representing space or wrong preaching of false guides. The sixth wheel (Aajnaa) is in the centre of the two eye-brows representing mind or different media of the same God worshipped for worldly boons. The seventh wheel (Sahasraara) in brain represents intelligence or sharp analytical knowledge to identify the absolute unimaginable God in its centre. When the mind recognizes the existence of the unimaginable God, the spiritual effort comes to know the ultimate truth.
The first five steps (Yama and Niyama to control self for the welfare of society, Aasana and Praanaayaama to activate body in fixed positions and to purify blood respectively and Pratyaahaara to withdraw from the worldly bonds for initial efforts) preached by Patanjali indicate the preparation of sound mind in sound body. Physical and mental health are important in spiritual efforts and in God’s service later on and Hanuman shall be taken as the ideal inspiration in this concept. The sixth step (Dhaarana) is to catch Sadguru, who is the guide and goal. The seventh step (Dhyaana) is to fix the self in Sadguru. The eighth step (Samaadhi) is not to find and think anything else except the goal.
The devotee, who reached the final eighth stage, is in the initial sub-state (Samprajnaata) of awareness of the world to which (world) propagation of God is to be done. In the second sub-state (Asamprajnaata), except God nothing else is recognized. In this final sub-state of the final stage, the soul sees God only everywhere in the world including inert and non-inert items (Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma —Veda). By this stage, the soul has crossed maayaa completely. Before such stage, the soul can’t feel the world as non-existent and God only as existent.
Patanjali says that the primary hurdle is ignorance (Avidyākleśa), which can be destroyed by the true spiritual knowledge or the fruit of sharp analysis so that the misinterpretations leading to misunderstandings disappear. By this, the background of original essence of Yoga can be firmly realized so that the soul travels in the spiritual path. If one is rigid due to blind fascination to this ignorance, all the devotion and practical effort become waste. One must realize the divine background of all worldly religions to please God in real sense.

।। Iti Datta Vedānte Yogaparvaṇi
Yoga Vicāra Jñānaṃ nāma Aṣṭamādhāyah।।

The Eighth Chapter of Yogaparva of Datta Vedanta, which is the Knowledge of the Analysis of Yoga, is completed.

Datta Vedaantah

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-1: Anuyogajnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-2: Anuhya Parabrahma Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-3: Ishvaraavataara Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-4: Datta Vaishishtya Jnanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-5: Jagattattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-6: Jiivaatma Tattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-7: Avidyaa Guna Karma Tattva Jnaanam

Part-3: Yoga Parva: Chapter-8: Yoga Vicaara Jnaanam

★ ★ ★ ★ ★