Teevrasamvëganamasannaha
teevra = strong; samveganam = superiority, preference for it; asannaha = easy
“Those who have given it preference above all else and have chosen it first walk easily on the spiritual path.”
Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
What do we usually do?We give priority to worldly matters or to survival, and spirituality comes last on our list.When you place your spiritual practice first, then it becomes easier.If the focus of your life is on spiritual growth, then all other things become secondary.Your first and foremost responsibility in life is to be with the Truth, to grow in the Truth, and to work from that space—then your social obligations move to the background of your list, and everything becomes much easier for you.
So, it is easy for those who place it first, for those whose minds truly want to move in that direction.
The minds that seek to grow in this direction are of three types.
Mrudumadhyadhimatratvattatoapi visheshaha
mridu = soft, weak; madhya = medium; adhimatra = intense, strong nature; tatah = further; api = also; visheshaha = distinction
“There is also a further distinction between weak, medium, and strong temperaments.”
– Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
People fall into three different categories: slow, moderate, and fast.
"Alright, let me do it."
"I must do it."
And: "I cannot exist without doing it."
One is 100 percent committed, another hesitates a little, and a third says,
“Alright, let me do it, I should do it.”
These are the first, second, and third categories.
Īshwara-pranidhānād vā
īshwara = God; pranidhānād vā = through devotion
“Only through total surrender to God.”
—Yoga Sutra of Patanjali
Only by fully dedicating yourself to God can you attain the state of full blossoming of consciousness.
But what is God? Who is God?
It’s easy to say, “I surrender to God,” but who is God? Where is God?
No one has ever seen God.
Then the next question arises:
What is lordship?
What is it that moves the world?
You discover that love moves the world.
The core of existence governs the universe.
Just as the Sun is the center of the solar system and all planets revolve around it,in the same way, the core of your life is love.
Beyond your constantly changing body, thoughts, and feelings,
there lies the core of your existence—something very subtle, very delicate.
That consciousness, the essence of existence, is responsible for all of creation.That is lordship.
The mother bird feeds her chicks out of love.The flower blossoms as a result of love.The ducks hatch their eggs out of love.Cows care for their calves out of love.Have you seen monkeys?How they care for their little ones!Love is embedded in creation. It functions through love.
That which you call the indivisible is the core of consciousness.
That’s why Jesus said:“God is Love, and Love is God.”
(This series is part of the knowledge based on the commentaries of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.)
