Question

Who taught the principle of Ashtangic
Marg ?​

Answer 1

Answer:

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Explanation:

Ashtanga yoga is a way of practicing yoga with the eight steps codified by sage Patanjali. This type of practice finds its place in many of the Vedic scriptures also.

The eight limbs of yoga are:

yama (consisting of ahimsa, satya, asteya, aparigraha and brahmacharya)

niyama (consisting of shoucha, santosha, tapas, svaadhyaaya and eeshvara pranidhaana)

aasana

pranayama

pratyahara

dharana

dhyana

samadhi

yoga itself means samaadhi (union of self with supreme soul). It comes from the root ‘yuj’ used in the context of ‘samaadhi’ (yuji samaadhau). This state of samadhi is defined by Patanjali as “chittavrutti-nirodha” meaning cessation of mental fluctuations.

IN order to achieve this yoga (chittavrutti nirodha), Patanjali gives us beautiful steps of practices. In order for us to be united with the supreme soul thus, we must consciously try and focus our mind on that supreme soul. This is achieved through dharana and dhayana. ‘dhaarana’ is to focus the mind on our goal with effort, and dhyana is ‘avicchinna tailadhaaraavat smritisantaanam’, which means a constant flow of thoughts akin to an uninterrupted flow of oil (without the least bit of deviation from its path). The difference between dharana and dhyana is that the mind may go astray during the dharana phase, and it becomes our duty to consciously bring it back on our goal; whereas our mind starts focussing effortlessly on the goal without the least bit of deviation in the phase of dhyana. This is what people generally call ‘meditation’.

In order for us to focus thus, we must pull our senses inwards, recalling them from their contact with the external world. That is because, as long as the senses are uncontrolled, our mind can never be focussed. So the act of pulling the senses inward (or away from their objects in the external world) is called ‘pratyaahaara’.

In order to achieve pratyahara with ease, we must have control on our breath; because our breath and senses (including the mind) are inter connected. When we slow down our breath, our mind and senses calm down and can be pulled inward with ease. This process of slowing down of breath is achieved in pranayama.

For us to practice all these, we must be able to sit in a comfortable position without any hinderances. Our body must be fit enough to hold a position without any feeling of pain/cramps/etc so that our mind can be focussed on dhyana and samadhi, and all necessary steps to achieve the same. This act of holding a posture firmly and comfortably is called ‘aasana’.

So the order of practice is yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

This is how Patanjali has codified the eight limbs to achieve yoga or samaadhi, and we call the yoga achieved through these steps as ‘ashtanga yoga’.

The final goal of this ashtanga yoga is to be in union with the supreme soul or Bhagavan or ‘parabrahman’.