What is Yoga according to the Bhagavad Gita? UNION

The Sanskrit word “Yog”, from which the word Yoga comes, means union. But union with what? union with your true self, and through it, with the Absolute Reality, whatever you call it: Brahman, God, Sat-Chit-Ananda or Allah.

In the West, however, it is almost always used with a different meaning, and refers above all to Hatha Yoga based mainly on Asanas. In the 19th century Swami Vivekananda introduced Raja Yoga and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to the West, especially in his travels through the United States (Parliament of the World's Religions of 1893) and England (London), and in his numerous essays and lectures. that he taught.

Obviously we are talking about two different types of yoga. I would dare to speak of a “physical Yoga” practiced in the West and a “ spiritual Yoga”, for me the true Yoga, based on the Bhagavad Gita, as “Science of Yoga” (Para-Vidya), and also in the Yoga Philosophy based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Raja Yoga.

1. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita

In the Bhagavad Gita there is practically no reference to this “Physical or Westernized Yoga”. Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita, Dhyana Yoga, focuses on the Yoga of Meditation, especially between verses 10 and 15, it is the closest it is to what is usually practiced in the West. In neither of the two versions of the Bhagavad Gita, that of Gandhi and that of Swami Vidya Prakashananda, which I have translated into Spanish, the word “Asana” does not appear in any of the verses. Nor in other versions that I have read.

So how is Yoga defined in the Bhagavad Gita?

Before answering we must take two things into account:

1. Every chapter of the Bhagavad Gita begins with the word “The Yoga of…” for example, “The Karma Yoga”, the Bhakti Yoga etc. That is, the Bhagavad Gita shows us different paths or yogas
2. And all the chapters end like this, for example: “This is how the third chapter titled Karma Yoga (Yoga of Action) ends.

The Bhagavad Gita is very clear, this “science of yoga”, and this is very important to keep in mind, this science called Para Vidya, which focuses on the study of the subjective, and not the objective like Western science, allows us to understand “part of the knowledge of Brahman”, that is, reaching the realization of Absolute Reality.

The Bhagavad Gita is a Moksha Shastra, a sacred book of Self-Knowledge and liberation.

What kind of self-knowledge?

That of our true Self, the immortal being, that “which neither weapons can cut nor fire burn”, the Atman.

How is this knowledge achieved?

“Eliminating ignorance with the sword of knowledge.”

What liberation do we achieve?

The union of Atman with Absolute Reality, with Brahman; the Moksha, the Nirvana, the Samadhi.

How do we achieve it?

Depending on the character of each person, the Bhagavad Gita proposes different Paths or yogas to achieve this self-knowledge and this liberation. For an active man he recommends Karma Yoga (Yoga of Action), for a mystic Dhyana Yoga, for someone who is devotional Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion) and for the philosopher and rational Jnana Yoga. Any man is free to follow one or more of these paths.

We must also remember another characteristic of the Bhagavad Gita, its strong harmonizing character, integrating different paths or yogas. And precisely because of this flexibility of the Bhagavad Gita, it may be impossible to find a single definition of Yoga.

Yoga Shastra: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Bhagavad Gita

Let's see what definition of Yoga the Bhagavad Gita gives us. In almost every chapter we will find some definition related to Yoga or Yogi. For example in verse 48 Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga, we see that Yoga is the impartiality of the mind.

And in verse 50 we see:

“A man endowed with detachment escapes the fruit of good and bad acts. Therefore, stick to yoga. “Yoga is skill in action”

What a suitable definition for both physical and spiritual yoga: “Yoga is skill in action and impartiality of mind.” And we observe two key concepts:

1. Detachment for the fruits of actions, the essence of Karma Yoga
2. Equanimity before the good and the bad, before the friend and the enemy, before the cold and the heat

And in verse 53:

“When your understanding, distracted by hearing too much, rests firm and motionless in concentration, then you have achieved yoga”

And two more key concepts: Jnana (Knowledge) and Concentration

In Chapter 7, the Yoga of Meditation (Dhyana Yoga) we find several definitions of Yoga, such as in verse 4:

“When a man is not attached to either sense objects or actions and expels all selfish purposes, he has crowned the heights of yoga”

And we see another key concept: freedom from any selfish purpose.

Or in verse 8:

And more key concepts: discriminative knowledge, the only one that allows Atman to be realized, firmness and self-control.

Or in verse 19:

Or in verse 23:

“That state should be known as Yoga, the union with the Supreme, the disunion of all union with pain”

The message is clear: “Yoga: union with the Supreme”, the “disunion of all union with pain” caused by ignorance (Avidya)

Or in verse 29:

“The yoga-centered man looks at everyone impartially, seeing Atman in all beings and all beings in Atman”

And another key concept: impartiality and unity. The Yogi acts for the good of humanity, because he sees “unity in diversity” because he sees “Atman in all beings and all beings in Atman.” Or in the words of Sri Ramakrishna:

Or in verse 6.31:

“The yogi who, anchored in unity, worships Me dwelling in all beings, lives and moves in Me, regardless of how he lives and acts.”

Or in verse 6.32

“He who, comparing himself with others, feels pleasure and pain equally for everyone and for himself, is considered the highest yogi.”

Note that it is practically the same as the universal golden rule “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.”

Or in verse 6.47.

“And among all yogis, he who worships Me with faith, with his innermost being absorbed in Me, I consider him the best yogi”

And another key concept: Bhakti yoga without devotion is not possible.

And I repeat, in many more verses of the Bhagavad Gita we would find definitions of Yoga or Yogi.

What is true is that none of these definitions of yoga mention anything related to physical yoga, to Asanas. In these definitions we find references to the four main paths of yoga: Karma, Dhyana, Bhakti and Jnana Yoga.

1. Karma Yoga (Action): purify the mind by dedicating actions with the Lord
2. Dhyana Yoga (Meditation): realizing Atman
3. Bhakti Yoga (Devotion): developing our devotional love for the Lord and all humanity
4. Jnana Yoga (Knowledge), allows us to unite with the Absolute Reality in a whole that is one

Notice that somehow the Bhagavad Gita is showing us some paths and also some techniques to understand this Absolute Reality and finally join it. This spiritual practice or path, which may or may not include physical practice, is Yoga.

Thank you very much, Namaste! Pedro Nonell