Patanjala Yoga with Sri BNS Iyengar
Guruji BNS Iyengar lecturing for Mysore Yoga Conference a the Maharaja’s Sanskrit College in Mysore.
In Indian tradition, history is preserved through what is called the rishi paramparā — the lineage of sages. A rishi is one who has performed intense penance, or tapas, and dedicated themselves wholly to truth and the divine. A rishi belongs to a world beyond the ordinary, where thoughts and actions are aligned with nature and with God, which is to say, with life itself.
According to this view, life is a divine product. We are not separate from God; we are sons of God, born into this material realm. That which is born must die, and after death, the soul returns to its origin — to the land of the divine. The journey of life, then, becomes a quest to return to that divine source. This is the essence of yoga: to unite again with the divine, to return home.
On earth, we encounter three qualities or aspects of life — good, bad, and the potential for both heaven and hell. But these outcomes are not immediate. One's actions determine the path. The human being is a unique creation, representing God in this world. What makes humans special is the presence of manas (mind), buddhi (intellect), and chitta (past impressions or tendencies).
The mind serves as the bridge between God and man. Yoga is the journey, the inner travel, that allows us to reconnect with that source. Just as physical travel may take someone from America to India, spiritual travel takes one from ignorance to wisdom, from confusion to clarity, from materiality to divinity.
This journey happens within. The mind is like a flowing river, dynamic and ever-moving. The intellect helps to decide, to discriminate between good and bad. Together, they define our commitments, our character, and ultimately our destiny. A man who commits to truth, goodness, and higher values moves toward heaven. One who gives in to selfishness and crime moves away from that path.
Each human being has a role, a dharma, shaped by their nature — a carpenter, a farmer, a chemist — and all professions are different expressions of service. The purpose is not merely to earn, but to fulfill one's deeper hunger, the soul's longing for unity and truth.
This quest for knowledge and realization has been preserved in literature known as the Veda. Veda is not just a book; it is the embodiment of knowledge. It offers guidance, like a market filled with all varieties of nourishment, from which one must wisely select according to one's needs and constitution.
Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras begin with the statement: yogaṣ citta-vṛrtti-nirodhaḥ — yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind. This is the core teaching. Every exercise in yoga has its own principle, and each deity in the Indian pantheon has a distinct character or energy. But the divine itself is one.
Through sustained practice, purification happens. Just as 10 tons of mud may yield 10 grams of gold, the mind and body, when refined through yoga, reveal the golden essence within. The physical body is like iron, but through āsana, prāṇāyāma, and meditation, it becomes like gold. Then, beyond gold, it becomes light. This transformation is the domain of kundalinī yoga and other advanced systems.
This is internal education. Mere physical fitness or the performance of thousands of āsanas is not sufficient. Without inner transformation, there is no entry into the divine realm. Animals cannot distinguish right from wrong, but humans can. This is why the human birth is so rare and so precious.
Man alone, with mind and intellect, is capable of salvation. This is the vision of yoga: to refine one's inner instrument so thoroughly that the soul returns to its divine origin. This process of realization, of turning iron into gold, light, and finally jyoti, is the legacy of the sages. Patañjali's system is a divine science, a mirror that reflects our true nature and shows us the way home.
So let us do good, think clearly, and follow the path of yoga with sincerity. This life is the opportunity to realize the highest truth. May we value it and live it well.
Om śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ, śāntiḥ.
