Patanjali Yoga Sutra — svarasavāhī viduṣo’pi tathārūḍho’bhiniveśaḥ॥2.9॥
स्वरसवाही विदुषोऽपि तथारूढोऽभिनिवेशः॥२.९॥
(The fifth obstacle) abhiniveśa (hankering for life and its pleasures) is life-possessiveness or struggle for existence and to be alive, inherent and evident in everyone and even the wisest (viduṣa) is not an exception.
The very thought of death is scary even to the wisest and everyone struggles to be alive (even at the cost others life). It is a fight for survival, an obsession to live by instinct. It appears Patañjali Maharṣi presupposes the doctrine of reincarnation by this sūtra. A common argument is, repeated experiences become our instincts and this instinctive and inherent desire to cling to life is evident from the fact that jīva must have faced death repeatedly in previous lives and thus he has also developed an instinct to fight death. After being hatched on the bank of the river, baby turtles head invariably towards the water! How do they know that they would be safer in water; whereas on land, some predator would eat them away? Who taught them this life experience? The only answer is, it could be because of their death experience in their previous births; and thus, instinctive desire to survive is seen right from their birth.
All said and done, the critical question to be answered is why Patañjali Maharṣi considers this desire to cling to life as an obstacle to samādhi? The reasons are:
1. Continuously lingering fear of death could force a man to be constantly vigilant of his physical existence and hampers his yoga sādhana, as he does nothing except taking care of his body as if it is everything; if the body is good and safe, I am good and safe.
2. The very belief that there is something like birth or death is ignorance. Thus, Bhagavān says, wisest of sādhakas is the one who understands:
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णान्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥गीता २.२२॥
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gr̥hṇāti naro’parāṇi।
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇānyanyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī ॥Gītā 2.22॥
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः॥गीता २.२३॥
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ।
na cainaṁ kledayantyāpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ ॥Gītā 2.23॥
Just like a man discards old or worn-out clothes and wears new ones, ātman rejects old (or disease-ridden) bodies and takes on new bodies. Weapons cannot cut Him (ātman or embodied soul), fire cannot burn Him, water cannot wet Him, wind cannot dry Him.
Undoubtedly, with such an understanding, sādhaka’s sādhana is unperturbed, and he surely reaches the summit of yoga.
3. Bhagavān also says, if one life is not sufficient to realize, sādhaka continues the sādhana in his succeeding life from the point where he has stopped in the previous life. How motivating it is for sādhakas!! Thus, in true spirits, death is never an obstacle for a true yogi, but clinging to life is. Death is a celebration as yogi gets a new, practice worthy sādhana śarīra (body).
How divine power helps one’s spiritual growth? An interesting story from Bhāgavatam explains marvelously:
Nārada and Lord Viṣṇu went out on a journey. On their way, they met an affluent man. This rich man, with much show and pretension, having in view recognition, praise and adoration as a pious man, offered all kinds of services to Nārada and Lord Viṣṇu. Before leaving, Lord Viṣṇu blessed the rich man — ‘let your riches increase tenfold’.
Nārada and Lord Viṣṇu continued their journey. Now they meet a poor man, who had nothing except a cow. This poor man also offered services to the guests with a pure sense of duty, without a bit of ostentation. But this poor man could offer only milk to the guests. Before leaving, Lord Viṣṇu blessed the poor man — ‘let your cow die immediately’.
Nārada could not digest this and asks Lord Viṣṇu, ‘what is this, O Lord, both the rich and the poor man served you. The rich man got the blessing that his riches should increase tenfold; whereas, the poor man lost the only possession, his cow. Why this discrimination?!
Lord chuckled and replied, ‘The rich man’s offering was prompted purely by pretension and show of affluence. I could hardly find any kind of devotion in his services. Anyways, he was never fit for salvation. Hence, I blessed him to become richer, so that he would obstinately cling to life; whereas, the poor man’s services were just flawless and his devotion was not motivated by any kind of expectations of reward. He was a perfect soul for salvation. But his only obstacle was his cow; his attachment to the cow was the only hindrance in his way of liberation. Hence, I took away his cow; and his path to salvation is clear now’.
