Philosophy

Question 1

Who were the authors of the collection of works known as the Vedas?

Answer 1

Rishis (holy men) were the inspired seers and hymn composers; they heard the Vedas during deep meditation. (p.61 YPM)

Question 2

How many Vedas are there and how old are these writings?

Answer 2

four Vedas, Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Artharva- Rig Veda is the oldest 3000 B.C.

Question 3

What is Yogic thoughts?

Answer 3

not so much one of union but an ultimate Reality as disunion, or disconnection from the ego personality. (p.15YPM)

Question 4

What is the Mahabharata?

Answer 4

the great tale of the Bharata Dynasty. Inside this book is the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana, about the war Kurukshetra civil war that occurred 5000 years ago.

Question 5

What is the main message of the Bhagavad Gita?

Answer 5

the war within and call to action Krishna teaches Arjuna liberation while still fulfilling his Dharma of having to fight. Dialogue between an Incarnation of God, Krishna, and Arjuna, his friend, disciple, cousin, and brother-in-law.

Question 6

What is the spiritual language of ancient India?

Answer 6

Sanskrit

Question 7

What is the meaning of Yoga?

Answer 7

according to Ghandi, “the yoking of all the powers of body, mind and soul to God; it means the discipling of the intellect, the mind, the emotions, the will, which that Yoga presupposes; it means a poise of the soul which enables one to look at life in all its aspects evenly” The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj meaning to bind, join, attatch, and yoke. Meaning union or communion, true union of our will with the will of God. Pg.19 LOY

Question 8

44. What are the 4 chapters or Padas of the Yoga Sutra? Explains each Padas.

Answer 8

a) Samadhi pada: on contemplation
b) Sadhana pada: on practice
c) Vibhuti pada: on properties and powers
d) Kaivalya pada: on emancipation and freedom

Question 9

Who is Patanjali?

Answer 9

a legendary man Who is believed to be an evolved soul incarnated of his own will to help humanity.he assumed human form, experienced our sorrows and joys, and learned how to transcend them. Believed to live between 500 B.C.- 200 B.C. Pata means fallen, Anjali means” Hands folded in prayer”. Author of the Yoga sutras but also of treatises on Ayurveda and grammar. Pg.2 YSP

Question 10

What is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali?

Answer 10

a wealth of ideas and wisdom to guide the aspirant towards full knowledge of his own real nature. The ultimate effect of following the path laid out by Patanjali is to experience the effortless, indivisible state of the seer. Pg. 4 YSP

Question 11

What are Sutras?

Answer 11

codification (rules or aphorism) in Sanskrit and in this case of yoga, its practice and precepts, and the immediacy of the new light he is shedding.

Question 12

How many Sutras are there?

Answer 12

196

Question 13

Why is the Yoga Sutras essential to a Yoga Teacher?

Answer 13

Krishnamacharya memorized all of the Sutras as a part of his yoga training. It is a guide towards attaining and maintaining true yoga. you cannot teach what you do not practice so it is essential to know the rules of yoga.

Question 14

List and define the 8 limbs of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga (Ashtanga).

Answer 14

a) Yama: Ethical disciplines
i) Ahimsa (non-violence)
ii) Satya (truth)
iii) Asteya (non-stealing)
iv) Brahmacharya (continence)
v) Aparigraha (non-coveting (non-hoarding))
b) Niyama: Rules of conduct that apply to individual discipline
i) Saucha (Purifying the body)
ii) Santosha (contentment)
iii) Tapas (burning zeal, austerity)
iv) Svadhyaya (study of the self)
v) Ishvara Pranidhana (dedication to the lord of one’s action and will)
c) Asana: One must conquer the body in order to make it a suitable vehicle for the spirit. (p.87 YPM)
d) Pranayama: the science of breath
e) Pratyahara: Turning the senses inward
f) Dharana: complete absorption; stilling the mind in order to concentrate wholly on a single point (ekagrata) or on a completely engrossing task.
g) Dhyana: the flow of absorption or concentration becomes uninterrupted, the state of meditation.
h) Samadhi: sleepless sleep, only expressed through profound silence. The yogi has departed from the material world and is merged in the Eternal.

Question 15

Define Citta.

Answer 15

the mind in its total or collective sense, being composed of three categories: (a) mind, having the faculty of attention, selection and rejection; (b) Reason, the decisive state which determines the distinction between things and (c) Ego, the I-maker. Pg.518

Question 16

Define Prakriti.

Answer 16

Nature, the original source of material world, consisting of three qualities, sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Question 17

Define Purusha.

Answer 17

the Self, beyond all change, the same in every creature.pg.38 bg

Question 18

What does Klesah mean? List the 5 Klesahs and explain the qualities of each.

Answer 18

Klesha means afflictions

a) Avidya (not seeing things as they are)
b) raga (attachment)
c) dvesa (aversion)
d) asmita (the story of I, me, mine)
e) abhinivesa (the thirst for further existence)

Question 19

What does Guna mean? List the 3 Gunas and explain the qualities of each.

Answer 19

Gunas: Qualities of Nature (Prakriti)

a) Tamas: Dark, lazy, chaos
b) Rajas: restlessness, vanity, causes activity, attached to action.
c) Sattva: Goodness, light, spiritual liberation

Question 20

Who are these following individuals? T Krishnamacharya, B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar? How are they related? What are their contributions to yoga?

Answer 20

T Krishnamacharya is responsible for all yoga in present day. His guru Sri Ramamohan Brahmachari, a scarce Hatha yoga master. Teacher to B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar. BKS Iyengar is Krishnamacharya’s brother-in-law and student responsible for making yoga popular in the U.S. Iyengar yoga. Pattabi Jois is known for Astanga “power” yoga. TKV Desikachar is Krishnamacharya’s son and responsible for bringing back chanting and Ayurveda.

Question 21

What is AUM? What does AUM represent according to Pada I.27 of Light in Yoga Sutra of Patanjali?

Answer 21

the sound of the infinite, the essence of the Vedas. According to Pada I.27 in Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Aum is the symbol of divinity. Called Pranava, which stands for praise of the divine and fulfilment of the divine.