Patanjali Yoga Sutra — देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा ॥3.1॥
deśabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā॥
Holding the mind One-pointed, focused upon a fixed place, object or spot is dhāraṇā.
This is Patañjali Maharṣi’s definition of the word dhāraṇā. Stilling the mind, the very act of fixing one’s mind focused on a point (either within or without), or on a particular region is concentration or one-pointedness.
The more pointed and focused a sādhaka is, the faster he evolves in his spiritual journey — up in the spiritual ladder. The nose of a shark is razor-sharp thus making it one of the fastest moving aquatic animals and powerful predators! The nose of supersonic aircraft is very sharp and pointed so that the aircraft easily pierces the wind and travels faster than the speed of sound; the nose of a nail is very sharp, thus pierces a hard object easily!
When the mind is made to focus on a particular point, all its energies are made to flow in one direction and make the mind very sharp and powerful. The analogy of water would make the argument clear. When water is allowed to flow in different directions its power is obviously very weak. When the flow is controlled and directed in one desired direction, the power generated is very huge, harnessed and hydroelectricity is produced. When scattered sun rays are made to pass through a magnifying glass and focused on a piece of paper, the heat generated is powerful enough to produce fire and to burn the paper.
Brainstorming V/s. Brain stilling: In contrast to ‘Brainstorming’ advocated by think-tank experts, here we learn ‘Brain stilling’. What happens in ‘Brainstorming’? A team of experts deliberate, a lot of thinking goes into and finally arrives at a ‘conclusion’. Vis-a-vis, our yogis/ṛṣis stilled the mind, the thinking was totally stopped, but still, they were able to get the Ultimate Truth — Supreme Truth! Through ‘Brainstorming’ you claim that you arrive at that correct knowledge’, whereas through ‘Brain stilling’, yogis claim, ‘Knowledge’ is revealed! That means, ‘Knowledge’ was not something newly invented. It was there and you arrived at that through ‘Brainstorming’ or revealed through ‘Brain stilling’. Brainstorming could be true for material or worldly knowledge, whereas brain stilling is for the spiritual world. In the material world, the subject and the object are different; whereas, in the spiritual world, one attempts to understand the subject itself (Self). Knowledge is everywhere. The universe is full of knowledge!
If Arjuna knew the art of ‘Brain stilling’ Bhagavad Gītā would have been completed in just two chapters. But Arjuna honestly admits (Gītā 6.34) that it is very difficult to still the mind (cañcalam); hence knowledge was given to him through ‘Brainstorming’. After a detailed ‘Brainstorming’ (through 700 verses) by Bhagavān, the words used by Arjuna are very interesting:
नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादान्मयाच्युत।
स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव॥गीता १८.७३॥
Naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtirlabdhā tvatprasādānmayācyuta|
sthito’smi gatasandehaḥ kariṣye vacanaṃ tava॥Gītā 18.73॥
O immutable one, by your grace, my delusion (mohaḥ) is destroyed, my memory is reinstated. I am stable now, free from doubts. I am prepared to put your command into action.
Arjuna never said, ‘I got the knowledge’, instead says, ‘the delusion which covered the truth (आवरण) is destroyed’. That means, ‘Truth’ is always there; the veiling dust has been removed, hence the truth is revealed. That which covers and conceals the truth is āvaraṇa; that which projects the untruth is vikṣepa. Both āvaraṇa and vikṣepa at vyaṣṭhi (individual level) are avidyā; at samaṣṭhi (universal level), they are māya.
Different limbs of aṣṭāṅga Yoga described by Patañjali Maharṣi should not be construed as watertight compartments or discrete entities from each other. Dhāraṇā being the first of the antaraṅga yoga, is achievable with ease when one practices the previous five limbs namely yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra. Yama and Niyama would bring emotional steadiness (ability to face the unforeseen eventualities of life). āsana abhyāsa would make the corporeal body immune to various diseases, prāṇāyāma abhyāsa would open up the energy channels and the energy is made to flow evenly to all parts of the body, besides calming the mind and pratyāhāra abhyāsa makes one realize the distinctiveness of the body and ātman (nāhaṃ dehaḥ, nāhaṃ manaḥ). Now, sādhaka is a fit vehicle to practice Dhāraṇā.
In the following sūtrās, Patañjali Maharṣi describes various regions or areas to be focussed on one’s own body or within the body (called spiritual centers) or on an external object (like sun, moon, etc) and the powers (siddhis or Vibhūtis) one gets owing to these different modes adopted in one’s own sādhana.
A person asked sarcastically, ‘We have only one God, why your Hindu Religion accepts innumerable gods. Is it really required?’ Sri Dayānanda Saraswati replied, ‘my dear friend, you have only one God, whereas we have only God’. Yes, readers, Hindu philosophy claims that there are 330,000,000 Devatas (Gods) occupying different parts of the human body and hence, the human corporal body is the divine abode of these different Gods. Thus, sādhaka gets divine powers by focusing on these Gods (or the regions occupied by these Gods).
In Bhagavad Gītā, Bhagavān leaves nothing to the imagination of readers. He describes very meticulously the logistics and other requirements for dhāraṇā and dhyāna practice:
योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः।
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः॥गीता ६.१०॥
yogī yuñjīta satatamātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ।
ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīraparigrahaḥ॥ Gītā 6.10॥
शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम्॥गीता ६.११॥
śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiramāsanamātmanaḥ।
nātyucchritaṁ nātinīcaṁ cailājinakuśottaram॥Gītā 6.11॥
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः।
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये॥गीता ६.१२॥
tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kr̥tvā yatacittendriyakriyaḥ।
upaviśyāsane yuñjyādyogamātmaviśuddhaye॥ Gītā 6.12॥
Having seated on such a place, he should stop all activities of mind and senses, concentrate the mind on a single point, and practice yoga for self-purification.
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्॥गीता ६.१३॥
samaṁ kāyaśirogrīvaṁ dhārayannacalaṁ sthiraḥ।
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaścānavalokayan॥ Gītā 6.13॥
Having stably aligned the body, neck and head, and avoiding gazing around in different directions, (he should) focus on tip of the nose.
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः।
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः॥गीता ६.१४॥
praśāntātmā vigatabhīrbrahmacārivrate sthitaḥ।
manaḥ saṁyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ॥ Gītā 6.14॥
A yogi, having subdued the senses and mind, being desireless and possession less, should sit in total solitude and should always enjoy the oneness with the Supreme Soul. He should select clean place which is neither too high nor too low in altitude and spread the ‘kuśa’ grass, deer skin and a piece of cloth, stacked one over the other. Having seated on this structure, and having aligned head, neck and trunk in his firm sitting position, avoiding all kinds of distractions sādhaka should withdraw the mind and senses and practice dhāraṇa for purification of his internal faculty. He should practice dhāraṇa on the tip of his nose. He should be established in Brahmacarya and be resolutely desirous of attaining Me as his ultimate aim (मुमुक्षुत्व).
Bhagavān considers the one practicing concentration far more superior to the one intellectually studying the scriptures and ritualistic approach. The import of complete surrender and devotion to the Supreme Soul during such a concentration cannot be undermined.
In prakṛti, it is always the weaker surrendering to the stronger; smaller submitting to the bigger. A river surrenders to the ocean by way of absorption. A planet submits to the sun by way of revolving round. A moon yields to the mother planet by way of revolution. In spiritual science, the same law holds good — jīvātma always offers Himself to paramātma (Supreme Soul) by way of complete surrender, absorption and becomes one with the Supreme Soul.
