Without realizing the significance of this most important fact, any one
who for a moment finds cause of disagreement with any one of his family,
or has his vanity wounded, or for a sentimental flash of the moment, or
for a selfish desire to utilize the Divine power for gross purposes--at
once rushes into contemplation and dashes himself to pieces on the rock
dividing the known from the unknown. Wallowing in the mire of
exotericism, he knows not what it is to live in the world and yet be not
of the world; in other words, to guard self against self is an almost
incomprehensible axiom for the profane. The Hindu ought to know better
from the life of Janaka, who, although a reigning monarch, was yet
styled Rajarshi and is said to have attained Nirvana. Hearing of his
widespread fame, a few sectarian bigots went to his court to test his
Yoga-power. As soon as they entered the court-room, the king having
read their thoughts--a power which every chela attains at a certain
stage--gave secret instructions to his officials to have a particular
street in the city lined on both sides by dancing girls singing the must
voluptuous songs. He then had some gharas (pots) filled with water up
to the brim so that the least shake would be likely to spill their
contents. The wiseacres, each with a full ghara (pot) on his head, were
ordered to pass along the street, surrounded by soldiers with drawn
swords to be used against them if even so much as a drop of water were
allowed to run over. The poor fellows having returned to the palace
after successfully passing the test, were asked by the King-Adept what
they had met with in the street they were made to go through. With
great indignation they replied that the threat of being cut to pieces
had so much worked upon their minds that they thought of nothing but the
water on their heads, and the intensity of their attention did not
permit them to take cognizance of what was going on around them. Then
Janaka told them that on the same principle they could easily understand
that, although being outwardly engaged in managing the affairs of his
State, he could, at the same time, be an Occultist. He too, while in
the world, was not of the world. In other words, his inward aspirations
had been leading him on continually to the goal in which his whole inner
self was concentrated.
Raj Yoga encourages no sham, requires no physical postures. It has to
deal with the inner man whose sphere lies in the world of thought. To
have the highest ideal placed before oneself and strive incessantly to
rise up to it, is the only true concentration recognized by Esoteric
Philosophy which deals with the inner world of noumena, not the outer
shell of phenomena.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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