Part II: Kriya Yoga, Or Concentrated Effort

In part I of this article, we talked about the Karma Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, and how, in order to fully follow Krishna's advice, we must be advanced, spiritually; able to give the fruits of our labors over to something beyond ourselves. The conclusion was a rather sobering one, since, for many, such a complete surrender will not seem possible.

It is with this fact in mind that I introduce the Kriya, or, concentrated effort, Yoga of Patanjali. Kriya Yoga, like Karma Yoga, depends on action, but, instead of asking for immediate surrender, it gives a step by step guide to reaching enlightenment through diligence and devotion. It asks for three things:

Austerity, self-study, and deep devotion to God [constitute Kriya-yoga]. (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali II.i)

By austerity is meant a very simple way of life in which the senses are not indulged and discomforts are not avoided. In true context, it describes a life of varying forms of asceticism, including fasting, abstinence and, of course, few possessions.

By self-study is meant studiousness; however, the idea behind self-study should also be taken to be self-observance and honest “soul-searching.”

Devotion to God means surrender to God, wherein all impurities, as well as purity, is given over. A life lived this way, maintains Patanjali, will lesson the afflictions, or klesas, known as ignorance, egoism, fondness (attachment), aversion, and fear of death. According to Kriya Yoga, it is the first klesa, avidya, or ignorance, that makes up the root from which all other afflictions spring.

Ignorance causes the perishable, the impure, the painful and the non-self, to appear as imperishable, pure, pleasing and reality. (Y. S. II.v)

It is through ignorance, or wrong-seeing, that we forget the impermanent nature of the world, the unimportance of personal glory, and the natural fact of death. We identify with our egos, which are caught up in the body and the false belief that they are the seers, and we develop attachments, aversions and a selfish attitude. The only way to be free of this, according to Kriya Yoga, is through meditation.

In meditation it is the goal to avoid normal attachment that the ego forms to the object; thus, when we meditate, we are trying to achieve a kind of seeing wherein the mind does not impose its concepts on the object being seen, but, instead, witnesses it without judgement. Some would say this is also about not discriminating between self and object, seen and seer.

To reach this state, Patanjali advises “incessant discrimination”, or, noticing and uprooting the thinking caused by our own ignorance, which we do through self-study.

In order to have abiding incessant discrimination, Patanjali prescribes certain practices:

Through the practice of yoga disciplines- and thereby cleansing of impurities- comes the Light of Discriminative Knowledge. (Y. S. II.xxviii)

The disciplines he is talking about comprise the eight-fold path of yoga, laid out in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The first seven parts of the path lead into the eighth, final goal of yoga. The order is as follows: Yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

For a more detailed description of the eight-fold path, see the two-part post on this website.

Part III: Combining Kriya and Karma Yoga

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

Now we can turn back to Karma yoga. We are given the way in which to practice; to see our delusion by gradual means, and eventually reach the point of leaving the fruits of our actions to something greater than ourselves. For, while practicing in Kriya Yoga, we gradually remove the klesas, and, as the klesas recede, our ability to act selflessly and morally increases.

For today’s yoga practitioner, this means setting aside time to meditate, keeping the body clean, fit, and healthy, and observing the activities of the mind in order to know what is being born and perpetuated there. In this process, we reach the state of surrendering the fruits of all our actions, and we gain non-attachment.

These two yogas, Kriya and Karma, go together as breath and silence, since, while the yogi is practicing the removal of the klesas, she is practicing, also, unselfish action; while he is surrendering material wealth and creature comforts, he is also surrendering attachment to himself.

It is only when our minds are cleared of our own fears and delusions that we can see clearly in the world, and only when we see people as they are, can we act compassionately toward them, seeking nothing in return. We must remember, however, though the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are two texts which offer ancient wisdom to help us in our struggle, ultimately, we must face the battle in our own way and time.

As long as we struggle for a goal, we remain attached to it, and, as the texts warn, our attachment to enlightenment will be our ultimate barrier. We must let go of that and follow the yogic path for the pure joy of it. We should not practice because we wish for certain results; we practice because it is what we can do in the meantime, until we are overtaken by undoing and set free.

Sources for parts i, ii, and iii of this article include:

The Original Yoga, Shyam Ghosh, Mushiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 1999
Other sources: The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, The Bhagavad Gita