Raja Yoga (the Yoga Sūtras with commentary) — trans. Swami Vivekananda (1896)
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The translator’s English as printed (Swami Vivekananda). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
and his gestures were wild. Narada said, " I am going to heaven." " Then, ask when I will be free." So Narada went on. In the course of time he came again by the same road, and there was the man who had been meditating till the ant-hills had grown round him. He said, "Oh, Narada, did you ask the Lord about me?" " Oh, yes." " What did He say ? " " The Lord told me that you would attain freedom in four more births." Then the man began to weep and wail, and said, " I have meditated until an ant-liill has been raised around me, and I have four more births yet." Narada went to the other man. " Did you ask my question ? " " Oh. yes. Do you see this tamarind tree? I have to tell you that as many leaves as there are on that tree, so many times you will be born, and then you will attain freedom." Then the man began to dance for joy, and said, " I will have freedom after such a short time." A voice came. " iSIy child, you will have freedom this minute." That was the reward for his perseverance. He was ready to work through all those births, nothing discouraged him. But the first man felt that even four more births must be too long. Only perseverance like that of the man who was willing to wait zeons will bring about the highest result.
PATANJALI'S
YOGA APHORISMS.
INTRODUCTION.
Before going into the Yoga Aphorisms I will try to discuss one great question, upon which the whole theory of religion rests, for the Yogis. It seems the consensus of opinion of the great minds of the world, and it has been nearly demonstrated by researches into physical nature, that we are the outcome and manifestation of an absolute condition, back of our present relative condition, and are going forward, to return again to that absolute. This being granted, the question is, which is better, the absolute or this state ? There are not wanting people who think that this manifested state is the highest state of man. Thinkers of great calibre are of the opinion that we are manifested specimens of undifferentiated being, and this differentiated state is higher than the absolute. Because in the absolute there cannot be any quality they imagine that it must be insensate, dull, and lifeless, that only this life can be enjoyed, and therefore we must cling to it. First of all we want to inquire into other solutions of life. There was an old solution that man after death remained the same, that all his good sides, minus his evil sides, remained for ever. Logically slated this means that man's goal is the world ; this world carried a stage higher, and with elimination of its c\ ils is the state they call heaven. This theory, on the face of it, is absurd and puerile, because it cannot be. There cannot be good without evil, or evil without good. To li\ e in a world where it is all good and no evil is what Sanskrit logicians call a *' dream in the air." Another theory in modern times has been presented by several schools, that man's destiny is to go on always improving, always struggling towards, and never reaching, the goal. This statement, though, apparently, very nice, is also absurd, because there is no such thing as motion in a straight line. Every motion is in a circle. If you could take up a stone, and project it into space, and then live long enough, that stone would come back exactly to your hand. A straight line, infinitely projected, must end in a circle. Therefore, this idea that the destiny of man is progression ever forward and forward, and never stopping, is absurd. Although extraneous to the subject, I may remark that this idea explains the ethical theory that you must not hate, and must love, because, just as in the case of electricity, or any other force, the modern theory is that the power leaves the dynamo and completes the circle back to the dynamo. So with all forces in nature ; they must come back to the source. Therefore do not