The Philosophy of Yoga (Yoga Sutra 1.16)

“Tatparain Purusakhyateh Gunavaitrsnyam.”

“The ultimate renunciation is when one transcends the qualities of nature and perceives the soul.”

Mind is like an infant that has something dangerous in its hand. To take a dangerous object from the child, one must give it something more attractive and more wholesome. If one takes the dangerous object without giving something attractive the baby will cry. Likewise the renunciation of incorrect tendencies, habits and personality becomes natural and delightful by presenting the light of Purusa (Soul, the seer).

Changing the personality becomes easy and smooth by the power of self-knowledge.  This is the highest and easiest way of renouncing the material world and gaining control over the life and death instinct.

Renunciation is of two kinds:

1. Renouncing the sensual enjoyment (bhaga vitrishna)

2. Renouncing the force or taste of the experience (guna vitrishna).

To renunciate means to get rid of foreign qualities, and leave the inherent nature. A substance cannot stand by renouncing its own real nature (e.g. Fire could not be by renouncing heat and light). Renunciation is possible only when there are foreign attributes which hinder and conceal reality. The material character which obscures the shinning nature of Soul is renounced.

A yogin meditates on the vision of highest gain, highest happiness, highest enjoyment, highest beauty, highest existence, highest knowledge and highest love. Through practice, this vision becomes his natural experience. Then the mind with its production of thought, progression of thought and content of thought becomes saturated with self-strength and self-knowledge. The yogin is so satisfied and absorbed in the vision of Soul that any object of attraction experienced, seen, heard or revealed has no value for him. This undisturbed perception of the light of soul is called highest vairagyam or renunciation. This state is a matter of experience and comes progressively.

Attention with the force of flawless consciousness, energized by concentration, purified by contemplation and sharpened by meditation leads attention to the state of Samadhi (enlightenment).

Attention is the eternal and real temple.
 

Paraphrased from:
The Textbook on Yoga Psychology
Rammurti Mishra, M.D.

Philosophy of Yoga Archives:
Invocation Chant
Yoga Sutra 1.13
Yoga Sutra 1.15
Yoga Sutra 1.16
Yoga Sutra 1.17
Yoga Sutra 1.18
Yoga Sutra 1.19
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Yoga Sutra 1.41 & 1.42
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