IMPORTANCE OF YOGA FROM THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Yoga is a spiritual discipline that is found in every school of Indian Philosophy. Yoga Darśan also known as Yoga system was founded by Patañjali and is one of the most orthodox schools of Philosophy. According to the Yoga Darśan, meaning of the word “Yoga” is to unite with level of mind that is free from five Vṛittis. This state of mind is called ChittoVṛitti Nirodha and is achieved through meditation and following eight paths those are mentioned as Aṣṭāṅga Yoga.

 According to Yoga Sutra, the term Yoga is stated as the process of re-uniting the mind with a state where there is calmness without any fluctuations. There are five Vṛittis: Pramana, Viparyaya, Vikalpa, Nidrā and Smṛti.

In Yoga, God is considered as the highest self and is thought to be distinct from other human selves. The purpose of Yoga is to realize the reality of the transcendental self which is free from different mental states like desire, greed, hatred, attachment and anger. Yoga advocates control over the body, mind and sense organs. In Yoga Darśan Puruṣa is considered as eternally pure and conscious self. One can be united with Puruṣa by virtue of Yoga.

The main objective of this article is to focus on the importance of Yoga from the perspective of Yoga Darśan. In following sections, I will try to elaborate on the below mentioned points:

• Definition of Yoga along with the five Vṛittis and Bhumis.
• Concept of Integral Yoga.
• Transformation of mind from lower to higher level.