Sutra 28 from the second pada - sadhana pada (sadhana means practice and the word is derived from Sanskrit): yogangnanusthanat asuddhiksaye jnanadiptih avivekakhyateh B.K.S Iyengars translation: By dedicated practice of the various aspects of yoga impurities are destroyed: the crown of wisdom radiates in glory. Edwin Bryants translation: Upon the destruction of impurities as a result of the practice of yoga, the lamp of knowledge arises. This culminates in discriminative discernment. This topic has been on my mind more generally over the past month or so as cultivating sattva (clarity or luminosity) is a potent result of regular asana and pranayama practices. I do not mean to imply that sattva does not relate to the other six limbs of yoga because it does. However, these third and fourth limbs of yoga (asana, pranayama) are powerful steps in developing and maintaining sattva - they give us a leg up, so to speak in the efforts to develop sadhana. So, sutra 28. How does the destruction of impurities provide a nice, clear pathway on which to travel when leading a yogic life? The word kindles or sparks is apt because when working on asana and pranayama things begin to make sound sense. For example, practicing moving that femur head into the hip socket for a good long while at home answers questions about standing poses. I prevent dead weight from collecting in my front hip socket and begin to see relationships between different parts of the leg. I begin to see correlations between different asanas. Bryant and Iyengar use phrases which link to clarity or luminosity such as wisdom radiates and lamp of knowledge arises. To be discriminative means to make distinctions between things. The Old Oxford Dictionary defines the word as to perceive or constitute the difference in or between. To discern is to recognize. Through his word choice, Bryant reinforces our understanding of recognizing distinctions. Within the context of Trikonasana, experiencing the understanding of the differences between various leg movements or efforts reveals a pathway of skillful practice. In seeing the preliminary, or intermediate even, steps towards understanding a pose (to know the hip is to know the pose) I see that nice clear pathway in sadhana.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 17:51:55 +0000
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