Intro: There is much opposition to the International Yog Day to be celebrated on June 21. In view of the wrong propagation about linking Yog with Hindutva, it is important to understand the holistic significance of Yogic science to build a healthier society.
When the word ‘Yog’ means ‘Union with Nature’ one wonders why there is so much opposition and suspicion regarding propagation of Yog. If man unites with nature, he will find that all his problems have begun to find a solution for themselves. In reality too , life is simple but we make it complex by not living naturally. Most of the problems that man faces today are the result of his separation from nature. If a child moves away from his or her mother out of ignorance, he or she faces multiple problems. Similarly, a man will face multiple problems if he cuts himself from the nature or becomes a butcher of nature.
One wrong notion why some people are against Yog is because it is intimately linked with Hinduism. And, for them the name' Hindu ' represents a religion whose followers are their enemies. But the fact of the matter is Hindus or Hinduism have never said that Yog is by Hindus and for Hindus. It is a self created belief and notion of the fundamentalists. Contrary to their narrow view, the truth is that Yog is for humanity. Practising Yog can do no harm to individuals and their religion—Yog is as natural as eating food and drinking water and inhaling oxygen. Does any religion say or claim that it can do without these three?
Even scientifically it has been proved that no other system can understand a man in totality as much as Yog does. Yogcharya BKS Iyengar, the greatest exponent of Yog in the modern era writes : '' First yog deals with health , strength and conquest of the body. Next, it lifts the veil of difference between the body and the mind. And lastly, it leads to peace and purity.''
All religions accept the existence of ‘some unknown divine power’. And all religions say that 'realisation of the unknown' is the supreme goal of a human being. Different religions may have different names for this ‘Supreme Soul’. But before exploring that Supreme Soul, a human being has to know about his body , mind, intellect and ego. Only when he understands the 'Known’, he can move towards the 'Unknown'. And, as a result of the realisation of the divine, he experiences the supreme nectar of joy. The truth is God’s realisation is possible only through self realisation. As Yogcharya Iyengar writes, Yog systematically teaches man to search for the divinity within himself with thoroughness and efficiency.
He unravels himself from the external body to the self within. He proceeds from the body to the nerves, and from the nerves to the senses. From the senses he enters the mind which controls the emotions. From the mind he penetrates into the intellect, which guides reason. From the intellect , the path leads to man’s will and from will to the consciousness and then finally to the next level which is called self -realisation or aham brahmasmi. As in many other instances, the confusion about Yog is only in the minds of some Indians but not outside India. The developed West is moving faster towards embracing Yog as the ultimate health system. The material advancement that America has achieved has not happy it joyful. One out of three Americans is a victim of Cancer, one out of twelve children is hospitalised for one or the other mental disorders and the US army rejects fifty out of every hundred young men as they either suffer from physical or psychological disorders. So there are many in US today who think that their governments would do well if they spend money on providing health to its people rather than exploring what is there on far off Mars or some other planet.
Today countries like Australia and America are adopting Yogic methods for healing themselves. Yog, thus, is a big hit in the West. In Sydney alone approximately ten thousand people attend ‘yog’ classes everyday. Swami Pranavanda Saraswathi says, “If every city in the world has teachers of Yog as many as they are in Sydney, the world will be supremely healthy.” One American woman, who changed her name to Indra Devi has written a book on Yog called Forever Young and Forever Healthy which has become one of the best sellers there.
Not many will disagree if it is said that the present world is in a crisis. To meet this crisis it then becomes the duty of the wise to search for a solution to it. In today’s chaotic world, Yog is one discipline that offers right solution for the well being of human beings.
P Satish (The writer is Lecturer in English Jagruthi, a forum for spiritual and ethical values)
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