Essay name: Yogatattva Upanishad (translation and study)
Author:
Sujata Jena
Affiliation: Utkal University / Department of Sanskrit
This study explores the philosophical and yogic concepts within the Yogatattva Upanishad—an ancient Sanskrit text wihchi s part of the Vedic literature that delves into the essence of yoga and meditation, linking mental control to spiritual enlightenment. The essay further critiques modern yoga's focus on physical exercises, advocating for its deeper philosophical and spiritual roots.
Chapter 3 - Yoga Philosophy in Yogatattva Upanisad
17 (of 60)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
All shortcomings disappear. We expand into the eternal cosmic and omnipresent divinity. We turn to that supreme satcidananda. Therefore, each time we lose more and more of our individuality and reach that state of greater existence, consciousness and bliss. Many times we shudder to think of losing our individuality (our identity). We cannot show our ego. Many of rationalize many of the research schools condemn Bhakti for this reason. They even condemn Sangati because it kills individually. By killing individually we lose our creativity and therefore, we lose our confidence. That is their objection. But actually, exactly the reverse happens when we surrender. By surrendering we surrender our limitations; we surrender our strong likes and dislikes. We surrender our obsessions. Then automatically we get purified. We expands, we become more powerful we start imbibing the qualities of our iṣṭadeva (god of choice) by tuning ourselves to that level in saguṇa bhakti. In nirguṇa bhakti, we reach that deep state of silence; the above of freedom, creativity, knowledge and bliss become that ultimate itself. To be egoistic is to be constricted. To be individualistic is contraction. To be selfish is contraction to be limited is contraction surrender is the opposite is the opposite. The ego is to be surrendered. Individual likes and dislikes are to be given up. Selfishness is to be relinguished. That is the path of Bhakti. In bhakti we topple the entire tree of ego by cutting the very root, because the root is the attachment. Root is the "I-nss�. If we can give up that ego, which is not very easy then the whole tree of ignorance is toppled down. In rājayoga, we cut the branch, in Jñāna Yoga, we cut the trunk but in bhaktiyoga, we uproot the entire tree. That is the spcialist of the science of emotions culture. Operating on our emotions, purifying our emotion, raising ourselves from more kāmas to orema, from prema raising ourselves to Bhakti, culminating in 90
