Page 36 - NAMAH-Apr-2020

Namah Vol. 28, Issue 1, 24th April 2020

But there will be a big difference between has a soul which is the divine element in him.
the two. Instinct is largely unconscious. The In fact this is his true being, which is covered
animal itself does not know why it does what up with his nature just as a source of light
it does. There is no thinking involved. It is not can be covered up by a thick mantle. The
aware even of the fact that it has an instinct! shadow of his soul falling upon his nature
Intuition is however conscious. It not only gives him the sense that he is simply a bundle
helps us make the right gesture, the right of movements, taking place within the field of
action but it also straightens our will that has nature. Thus identified with these movements
been distorted and deviated by the rush of of nature, his thoughts, feelings, impulses,
adrenaline and excitement and desires and behaviour, he develops an ego-self. But his
fear and anger and lust and all that we have true self, the soul within him remains covered
inherited from the animal past. and hidden deep within just as a river-bed
remains hidden below the water that is ever
Now the appearance of a conscious will in in flux. If the water is clean and still the river-
man is the gift of reason that compels us bed can be somewhat seen but if the water is
to make choices. This will, trained by the turbid and turbulent the bed cannot be seen
discriminative intellect, is now ready to over which the water is running.
go further and tune through the power of
intuition into the universal Will. By doing so Therefore the first glimpse of the soul can
we once again discover the harmony we have be had only if we learn to quieten and still
lost. But unlike the animal instincts we have the mind and thoughts and feelings driven
grown conscious. This is the big gain of this by all kinds of impulses and desires. When
complex mental evolution through which nature is restless and turbulent or stormy
we move. It is a narrow stifling passage and excited, as with movements of anger,
where, unlike the animal, we become aware jealousy, hate, lust, fear, greed or clouded with
of our ignorance and blindness so that we doubts and darkened with depression, then we
may develop a new sight and a new vision. get disconnected from our soul and instead
begin to live and act under the impulsion
Yoga is the means given to us of developing a of these forces, whose end-result is a state
new vision and ascending towards intuition. of increasing confusion and unhappiness
This recovery of intuition is symbolised in many mounting towards despair and eventually a
Greek and Vedic legends, notable among them loss of all will to progress or even live, a veil
being the legend of Angiras and the cows/ falling over hope and faith and trust.
cattle of the sun that are lost in dark caverns.
They must be recovered and released for the Therefore many yoga practices teach and train
good of mankind. Two things help towards this us to quieten the restless surface activities of
end, — the descent of an intuitive consciousness nature. Hathayoga trains the body to be still
and the power of the mantra. and not restless. Praannaayaama (part of Hathayoga
and Rajayaoga) trains the life-energy to flow
The double nature in man smoothly and in a quiet rhythm. Rajayoga
properly trains the mind to be quiet and
According to yoga man is born divine. His still. The triple path of the Gita teaches us to

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