Aanandha Yoga- Chapter-5

As mentioned in the earlier chapter, Ashtaanga yoga consists of 8 divisions.

1. Yama
2. Niyama
3. Praanaayama
4. Aasanam
5. Prathyaahaara
6. Dhaarana
7. Dhyaana
8. Samadhi

Let us take the first two steps, ‘Yama’ & ‘Niyama’ and analyse it.
‘Yama’ – means external purity.
‘Niyama’ – means internal purity.
Both of them are higly interlinked and inter-related. So it is possible for us to implement both as a single entity.

What is extrenal purity?
Getting up very early in the morning everyday, brushing teeth, taking bath, wearing clean clothes, eating clean food, keeping our surroundings clean…. Etc.,

Now you are going to say…. Stop it! Stop it! … even a school child knows all this, and what is new in it.

Well, I did not mean all this.
External purity means, we have to create an energy ring around us. When someone encounters us, then they should get a good impression about us and they should feel like respecting us.

I can give an example for this –
Once when Chaithanya Mahaprabhu was visiting a town, people asked him who a real ‘Bhaagavathan’ was.
He gave them the following reply –
1. One who keeps chanting the name of God whenever he sees anybody is ‘Bhagavathan’.
2. One who keeps on chanting the name of God, is ‘Bhagavathatharan’.
3. On see whom everybody chants the name of God is ‘Bhagathoothaman’.

In Sanskrit, ‘Bhagavathan’, ‘Bhagavatharan’ and ‘Bhagavathoothaman’ are comparative degrees, like good-better-best.

We can see these types of experiences even in our everyday life. When we see some people, the very first look of them creates a good impression about them in our minds, whereas some people’s presence in front of us gives us an uneasy feeling. I am not referring to any personal appearance or facial beauty for such feelings. The energy waves around them, gives such a feeling. These enregy waves can be either positive or negetive. Scientifically it is subject to be debated.

There is a certain process called ‘Kirleon Photography’. According to this process, it is possible to photograph very minute rays of energy emanating from any substance. Various experiments have been conducted using this technique. First an entire leaf was photographed using this method. It was seen that some kind of rays are emitted from the corner of the leaf. Then the leaf was cut and the remaining piece was photographed. It was surprising to see that the rays emitted from the whole leaf pattern and not from the cut pattern. The photograph is seen below.

Similarly Kirleon photographs of human hands were taken and here also they noticed the rays. Then the K Photographs of the hands of mentally ill patients were taken and they noticed that the rays were uneven and scattered. Similarly, the K.Photos of the hands of faith healers, Yogis and sanyasins were taken and found that the emission of the rays, were much stronger than that of the ordinary man’s. Similarly, research is going on in this field using people whose hands and legs have been amputated. This is known as ‘Phanthom limbs’.

What we have to understand from this is that, every human is emitting energy rays, which forms a ring around him. This they call it as ‘alpha rays’. Not much research has been done in this field so far. So we know that there is an energy ring around us. How to make it more positive and more powerful? Who can we ask this question to?

Can we ask this question to “Mrithyu Dhevatha”, “God of Death”, “Yama Dharma raja”.