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@ MayMay,Tiffany & Swadhina – Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning – UNION. It is not just about doing some physical postures/exercises and controlling your breath, as it is widely understood, but its ultimate aim is ‘Self Realisation’ through a step by step (mainly 8 steps are involved) systematic process of Union with one’s ‘true self’. Currently it is being recognised almost as a full fledged science after people across all countries have started realising its immense benefits which operate not only at one’s physical/body level but also help you in your mental and spiritual well being . Its pioneer was an ancient Indian Sage – Patanjali – who formulated a systematic 8 step process towards achieving the ultimate goal of YOGA (Union/Self Realisation). Order-wise, these 8 steps are – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi – although, people tend to limit themselves to only Asana (physical postures) and Pranayama (breath control exercises) which mainly benefit at physical level only. However, the full benefit of Yoga can be realised only by a systematic practice of its 8 dimensions under the guidance of an expert.

Thanks, my great pleasure!

interesting views from all!! i wonder if it would have been more befitting for this topic to be in ‘Philosopher’s Study’ rather than in ‘Art’. :)

This question – rather dilemma – again has its root in the basic question – What is love (read ‘true’ love) for human beings? I don’t think it requires a great philosophical explanation as to what is the naturally cherished aspiration, common to all beings – from a newly born child to an old man, an introvert to an extrovert, selfish to altruist and so on – It is ‘Love’, ‘to be loved’! It is another matter that fear arises in any situation naturally liked by us out of our another feeling (fear) of “not losing such naturally liked/loved situation/person”. You would find such conflicts in all situations of life/nature. This is so because of our clinging too much and our one sided attitude to a particular situation/feeling. I believe as we grow and pass through our life experiences, we realise this (conflict) gradually and the need to train our attitude to be able to successfully cope up with all kinds of situations. With the right attitude, we should be able to rise above any fear that comes in our natural feeling of love!

One of the more popular poems of Tagore and one of my favourites also! Thanks for posting.

Amazing stuff, Tiffany! Song lines in Hindi appearing in this lesson makes me wonder whether u know Hindi too!!

It’s Ok, i think i got u wrong!

I don’t think there to be anything like renaissance in so far as the philosophical concepts covered in his works are concerned, which find their roots in the basic Hindu/Vedic Philosophy. It is, however, the subtle poetic flavour to those philosophical concepts given by Gurudev that sets his work apart from the rest.

May May, thanks for posting this lesson! The interpretations of the same story vary across people. The bottomline is how one perceives something oneself, regardless of the general/wider beliefs or those taught by any religious stream. I like Stewart’s version – we all experience this “longing of life” — we are all spiritual orphans searching for our true home, which sounds better and more purposeful than Downing’s assertion – “The implication is that the religious quest fulfills psychological needs regardless of its actual truth.” I believe that spiritual issues/perceptions operate at much higher levels than merely psychological, besides encompassing the other planes of our being/existence. Again, a matter of one’s own beliefs/perceptions!! So, no debates on that. :)

Excellent explanation is provided in the substance of the poem. I feel like reading all his poems.

Good suggestion! The lesson seems to have wider appeal.

I think now it has been fixed, but seems too less on this great creation. It would be great if you could post some selected poems from English Gitanjali.

Hi Veena, please check – this lesson has got cut off and only a part is appearing. Seems interesting! “Gurudev”, as he was called, Rabindranath Tagore is one of my favorites also. Gitanjali won him Noble Prize.

Hi ssjana,

you are right. one must do one’s best and leave the rest to God. we have actions in our hands, not their fruits. the idea is therefore to focus on the actions and fruits will accordingly follow. don’t worry too much about the things (fruits of actions) which are not in your hand!

Tiffany – I don’t say that – seeing is not believing – but that seeing only a part of the picture and believing that’s all that the picture has to offer is like living under the illusion of having seen the ‘whole’ picture. As to your dilemma whether what others say or see is right or wrong, I agree with you that you can never be sure about what others say unless and until you attempt to see/unfold the unseen parts of the picture/whole on your own and have succeeded in that. Once you have yourself seen more parts of that ‘whole’, you will gradually become more and more convinced that there is more to the picture/whole than meets the eye/senses. What’s required here, in my opinion, on part of the aspirant who wants to see that ‘whole’ is to keep its mind open and keen to capture as much view of the whole as one can and not be bound or be so rigid in attitude as to negate the possibility of those views as have not yet been seen by it. I reiterate that I am not advocating to accept anything or any view without your having yourself seen/realised that. Only thing in this regard is a proper (flexible, keen and creative being the essential ingredients) attitude and untiring willingness to expand our horizon.

Tiffany – That view can at best be called ‘trade’ and falls short of even ‘utilitarianism’ that benefits a majority. If one loves other- because one needs other- that can not be called true love. On the other hand, if one needs other- because one loves other- that’s closer to the meaning of true love. In short, love governs the need and not the other way round. If it is other way round, that’s not true love. In such a case, where is the question/need of reciprocation and who cares about that if one is in true love?

Marco,

You bring up an interesting question in your last para – If I find what is real love for myself, how could it be possible to avoid to share it with other human beings? I think, it is not possible to avoid to share it with others, should you be able to discover that true love! Reasons – well I already explained before. I also share your belief that all these key questions concerning human lives – love, absolute truth, meaning of life, right or wrong …. – are all intimately interwined. That being the case, I believe, true solution of one question/mystery will automatically answer/unfold other questions/mysteries.

To be brief, I would say that the basic yardstick as to what’s right or wrong is – Doing for others what you want for yourself and not doing to others what you won’t like to be done to you. However, as I have said in another discussion topic – Does absolute truth exist – all this is hard to preach unless one develops oneself to a stage where one sees ONE in ALL and ALL in ONE and is able to rise above individualism and actually sees one’s own interest in the interest of all others and one’s own harm if one harms others.

Hi all,

I don’t want to make this discussion a vainful battle ground. Everyone is free to pursue his thoughts and beliefs based on one’s values, stage of development and life experiences. Whatever I had to say on this topic, I have said based on my own perceptions. There will always be people who will buy into one or the other view on the same aspect of life depending on their own stand point where they stand at that moment. I have seen my own view points and perceptions undergo a sea change as I observe my own life and see my development from a child thru’ what I am now. But I respect all this as I believe Life to be a continuous chain of development for the BETTER. That’s why I don’t force my own beliefs upon any one else. I am of the belief that none can teach others any thing unless it is already present in the taught. It’s all a matter of discovery within which comes thru’ one’s own experiences, sooner or later. I respect views from all quarters, howsoever at variance those might appear from the views held by me. Life is not all that easy as it seems! The real development has to pass this test of conflict in every situation. As I said earlier, I conclude with – It’s all a matter of one’s own Realisation!

I believe that whatever can be perceived through body and mind, though subjective as per the subject’s own perceptions, is true to that extent. Obviously, since perceptions of the same thing/situation vary with individuals, what’s true/absolute are not the perceptions/ideas themselves, but the thing/circumstance which remains as it is. What’s true/absolute are not the minds and the thoughts emerging therefrom which you know keep on varying on different occasions, but the one which powers this mind and body. As any student of Science would agree that nothing can be without a cause, that principle works everywhere. The truth is not the effect which is a varying entity, but the cause behind it. One could argue Ok, if that be so, our mind/thoughts govern our body /actions, so mind is true and actions are not. Had that been the case, one could justify any thought/idea (so called ethical or unethical, good or bad) emerging from the mind to justify one’s actions. Fortunately, the laws of nature and the universal/supreme intelligence working behind nature, which we call GOD/Truth/Absolute Reality or whatever you wish to call it, do not work that way. In my opinion, the biggest hurdle the human individual mind/intelligence faces in realising the absolute truth is its inability to realise that in essence we all (i.e our bodies and minds) are made up of the same physical and ethereal matter existing in the universe (though, in varying forms, but essentially with same finest units of matter, i mean electrons, protons, neutrons etc.) and are governed by the same universal laws (known and unknown) of nature. That being so, it should be easier, at least intellectually, to see that essentially it is all ONE despite there appearing different forms and bodies in the universe. Once we increasingly realise this essential ONENESS in seeming diversity, we automatically progress to the principles of ethics preached by one and all. The question is why should I do good to others and not bad if it pleases me? The answer is why not because if it is all ONE where is the question of disparity and discrimination and whiose good or bad I am going to do except my own real SELF, where I will be solely responsible for my own actions whether I perceive them as good or bad. However, all this is easier said than actually realised. Realising and attaining such a state of perception, the highest and the purest one, is the aim of all beings. Sooner or later, slowly or fast but surely, we all are moving there only. Only thing is that with mindful and properly directed efforts, one can accelerate the progress towards the Ultimate.