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Yogic insights into human psychology

Human Relationships and Yoga — I

Dr. Alok Pandey

Abstract
The field of human relationships is one of the most complex and challenging aspects of human
existence. Yet how little do we know about it? It is not a subject we are taught in school. Whatever
we learn about it is through the school of nature and by the time we have learnt our lessons
it is often too late. These few articles are an attempt to understand this aspect from the yogic
standpoint and see what it has to say about it.

Introduction in all our academic discussions. Even when
admitted, there is not much spoken beyond
Of all the fields of human life one of the techniques and methods, especially breathing
most complex, the most challenging and techniques and certain forms of meditation.
yet, perhaps for this very reason, the least What is understood is even less.
understood is the field of human relationships.
It is much easier to send a rocket to Mars or The reason perhaps lies in the simple fact that
discover the quantum laws within the atom, our academia is too much oriented towards
but it is far more difficult to discover who we a Western paradigm of understanding life
are and why we do what we do. One must and with all the information pouring in
admit that the field of psychology with all along the waters of a materialistic approach
its theories is still in its infancy. Especially in to life, there is very little time left to turn
times as these, where the focus has shifted towards other sources. Sometimes it is the
from the inner to the outer, from the deeper sheer volume of information that overwhelms
spiritual base to the surface behaviour and us and we begin to believe that whatever is
material mechanics of the brain, we see hardly more is true! And yet to those who have seen
any hope of a deeper and enduring truth that both, a single phrase from the IIssaa Upanissad
can remould the way we relate with fellow- or even a quarter verse, or just one such
humans and with creation at large. There is as IIssaa vaasyamidamm sarvamm, all this is for the
however a treasure-trove of discoveries made habitation of the Lord, can open the doors
by the yogis of yore that is found missing to an infinite meaning than a whole library

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