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Yogic insights into human psychology

Beyond humanity

Dr. Alok Pandey

Abstract
Our experience, perception and response to life are limited by our state of consciousness. While
we invest much time and energy in changing the world around us yoga reveals that the first step
to change anything is to change ourselves within. While the change of consciousness has always
been considered as the penultimate aim of yoga, the question remains as to how far this change
can go. Can it, for example, go as far as creating a new humanity out of the old, a new species
perhaps with new faculties and who knows eventually even the transmutation of the body into
a new divine body? This article touches upon this aspect of yoga as part of the general spiritual
evolution of man.

The persistent aspiration in man we try to perfect life through these means
given to us by nature.
Is humanity the last rung of creation? How
do we know, if we can know at all, whether
it shall be the verdict of the philosopher?
Why does it matter if it shall be the verdict
of the practical man? Ordinarily we may
just brush aside the question. Most human
beings even in their idealistic striving are
concerned mainly with reaching out to the
highest ideal that we can conceive. This ideal
is generally in terms of moral and ethical
considerations for action. For other things,
such as knowledge, we regard reason as the
best means to know things. A rational ethical
human being is generally the highest that we
can conceive of. But since there is in man a
constant push and drive towards perfection,

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