Patanjali’s Yoga has in all 8 steps – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. Among these, the first 5 can be looked at as preparatory steps. Does Bhagavadgeetha also talk about these steps?
While comparing Bhagavadgeetha to Patanjali Yoga Sutra or even early Buddhist scriptures, one needs to bear in mind, the different time periods these ideas originated. So, you can expect only broad similarity and a unified approach.
Refer to my other books for more details on Patanjali Yoga or Buddhist Meditation techniques. Here I will focus mainly on Bhagavadgeetha.
"The first and foremost step is to lead a solitary life, living all alone in an isolated place, completely withdrawn from all worldly lures, with no desire for any worldly pleasures, with the body and the mind completely under control, without amassing any worldly possessions
A person who practices Yoga should have moderation as the key rule whether it is in eating, sleeping, or for that matter in any action he does.
He should effort-fully restrain his senses with a determined mind, withdrawing them from sense pleasures in a gradual fashion. Even the mind needs to be withdrawn from all worldly activities and focused solely on the ultimate realization”
Though there is no one to one correspondence between these requirements and the Yama and Niyama of Patanjali, the ideas have lot in common. Even the initial steps of the well known “Eight fold path” of the Buddhists have similarities.
Surprisingly, even the Bible advocates a similar approach if one looks at the life led by Jesus Christ and his preaching. There seems to be a thread of continuity in spite of wide separation in time and geography.
Most interesting question to ponder over is – is modern Yoga anywhere near these practices?
Based
on verses 6.10, 6.17, of Bhagavad Geetha, one of the most quoted
and widely translated of the ancient Indian scriptures, believed to
have been composed by Vyasa as part of the great Indian Epic
Mahabharata, 5000 years ago. The interpretation of the verses and
audio recital are by Dr.King (Copyright © 2018 Dr. King)
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