A Question About Samskaras

7/29/2019 A Question About Samskaras

1/20

A Question About Samskaras. . .

Question: -> How does one control samskaras when they simply seem toovertake one? (Please answer in concrete terms; don't answer by saying

one has to control the senses, because this answer only begs the next

question...how does one control the senses, etc.)

Answer:

Samskaras are a fact of life. That is, it is quite natural (in fact, inevitable) that we

have samskaras, just like it is natural for a garden to have weeds. When do the weeds

overtake the garden? They only overtake the garden when we are negligent to remove

the weeds. The weeds will always come. That is only natural. Similarly, it is onlynatural (a part of our higher nature) that we respond by uprooting them (through the

practice of Yoga).

Samskaras (subtle impressions) form part and parcel of the cycle of Karma. The

cycle of Karma is this: Action (karma) --> Impression (samskara) -->

Tendency (vasana) --> Thought Pattern (vritti) --> Action (karma).

KARMA

The actions (karmas) are: seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, and thinking.

Examples: You go to the cinema to SEE a movie. This particular action will also

generally involve the action of HEARING. If you buy some popcorn and soft drinks,

it will also involve the actions of touching, tasting, and smelling. All of these actions

take place with the conscious mind. If the mind is unconscious, the movie will not be

seen or heard, and you will not feel, smell, or taste the popcorn or soft drink. Neither

will you think of the movie if you have never seen or heard (of) it.

SAMSKARA

Samkaras are subtle imprints (impressions) that are made in the mind-stuff (chitta)

whenever we do actions (consciously). Impressions are notmemories. Memories are

formedfrom impressions just like a photograph is developed from a negative.Generally, we only retain memories from recent impressions. Yet, we have countless

impressions (samskaras) from many, many lives. Most of these impressions no longer

have memories associated with them. In other words, the impressions (samskaras)

from many, many lifetimes are affecting us but we do not generally know how or why

they affect us because we no recollection of the actions that caused the impressions.

VASANA

The effect of a samskara is called a vasana. Vasanas are tendencies. In other words,

vasanas are the inclinationsformed from our impressions (samskaras). They are

mental urges, desires, and feelings. Unlike samskaras, the vasanas (tendencies) arereadily identifiable.


2/20

VRITTI

Our tendencies (vasanas) create thought patterns (vrittis) in the mind. In other words,

our thinking becomes motivated by our tendencies. That is, we THINK to support our

FEELINGS (desires, urges, etc.). These thinking patterns form our attitudes and

mental disposition.

KARMA

Finally, our thinking patterns (vrittis) leads to action. In other words, we act

(KARMA) because our mind tells us (VRITTI) to act, because that is how we will

satisfy our desire (VASANA) which arose from the impression (SAMSKARA) made

in the mind from an earlier action.

According to the sage Patanjali (the author of the Yoga Sutras) this cycle of KARMA

is without beginning. There is no FIRST action that started the wheel of karma

rolling. (Just as there is no FIRST cycle of creation, similarly there is no FIRST time

that the soul has been embodied. We have always performed actions [as embodiedsouls] and will always continue to do so until we reach the state of MOKSHA which

according to the Shruti last for a PRANTAKAL, a period lasting the duration of

36,000 cycles of Creation.)

How Do We Control Our Samskaras?

So, if the samskaras are without beginning then how do we control them? Actually,

we cannot controlour past samskaras because they have been automatically created as

a result of our past actions. So, really, what one is asking is this: "how do we stop our

past samskaras from controlling us?" The answer is found in the practice of YOGAwhich reveals that the way to break the karmic cycle is to interrupt the cylce at the

VRITTI level. The sage Patanjali definesYoga as this: Yoga is the restriction

(control) of the modifications of the mind (Yogash chittavritti nirodhah.Chapter 1, Sutra 2, of the Yoga Sutras). In this opening verse of the Yoga Sutras,CHITTAVRITTI refers to the various thoughts (or thought-forms) of the mind, which

are classified into five types: (1) thoughts about truth, i.e., analysis of wisdom; (2)

thoughts based on incorrect perception; (3) thoughts which have no basis in reality,

for example, day-dreaming, verbal delusion (talking to oneself in ones mind or

vocally, but making no sense, i.e., having no basis in fact), and uncontrolled

imagination; (4) the dream-sleep state of mind; and (5) memories.

The practice of Yoga, i.e., the practice of controlling ones thoughts, has been called aRoyal Secret, and a Sovereign Science. Why? It is a royal secret in the sense that

only those persons who have a noble (good) character are capable of knowing it. It is

called a sovereign science because it must be experienced directly, that is, one must

practice it oneself and verify the results with ones own experience.

By practicing the eight-fold (Astanga) YOGA, comprised of YAMA, NIYAMA,

ASANA, PRANAYAMA, PRATYAHARA, DHARANA, DHYANA, and

SAMADHI, one attains the highest state of consciousness and is freed from ignorance

and egocentricity (which are the cause of ones pain and suffering). One gains

complete mastery of the mind and is absolutely no longer controlled (motivated or

moved) by ones samskaras (past impressions).

OM


3/20

An Etymological Exposition of the Various

NAMES OF GOD

by Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati

1. Virat(from the root Rajri to illuminate, with the prefix vi and the suffixkwip added to it)

Signifies God, because He illuminates this multiformuniverse.

2. Agni

(from the root anchu which signifies gati and worship. Gati means toknow, to move or go, to realize)

Connotes God, because He is all-knowledge, Omniscient andworthy of adoration, fit subject to be known, soughtafter and realized.

3. Vishwa

(from vish to reside)


4/20

Means God, because all the world and worldly objects dwellin Him and He resides in all of them.

4. Hiranyagarbha(Hiranya--light and garbha--source)

Means One who is the source and support of all light andluminous bodies such as the sun. This is alsosubstantiated by the Yajur Veda, which says:--

"In the beginning was Hiranyagarbhya--the One Lord of the creation. Hesustains the sun and the earth. We adore Him--the all BlissfulBeing."

5. Vayu

(from the root Va to move, to kill)

Means One who is the life and support of the Universe, thecause of its dissolution, mightier than the mightiest.

6. Taijas(from Teja to shine or enlighten)

One who is Resplendent and gives light to the sun and otherluminous bodies.

7. Ishwar

(from Ish--power, knowledge)

One whose knowledge and power are infinite

8. A'ditya

(from a--not, do--to break, decay)

One who never dies or decays--is Immortal.


5/20

9. Prajna

(from Pre--perfectly andJna--to know)

One whose knowledge is perfect, Who is Omniscient.

10. Aum

All of the above, and All below, and All that which is between. TheBeginning, the Middle, and the End. That which is Before, andThat which is After. That which is Beyond, and beyond theBeyond. Om is the Supreme Name of the Supreme Self.

-JMD-

11. Mitra

(from nimid to love)

Signifies God, because He loves all and is worthy of beingloved by all.

12. Varuna(from vri--good or vara--to desire)

One who is the best, holiest of all and desired and soughtafter by all righteous, pious and learned men who areseekers after truth and salvation.

13. Aryama

(from re to obtain, to go and ma to respect)

One who respects or honours the good and the just, andpunishes the wicked--the Great Judge who gives soulsthe fruits of their deeds, good or evil.

14. Indra

(from Idi--power)


6/20

One who is all-powerful.

15. Vrihaspati

(pa--to protect or govern, Vriha--great)

One who is greatest among the great, and governs theentire universe.

16. Vishnu

(Vishr--to pervade)

One who pervades the entire universe, both animate andinanimate.

17. Urukrama

(uru--great, krama--energy)

One who possesses infinite energy.

18. Brahma

(brih or brihi--to lord)

One who rules over all.

19. Bhumi

One who is the abode of all and greater than all.

20. Surya

One who is the life and light of the universe, both animateand inanimate.

21. A'tma


7/20

(at--to pervade)

One who pervades the soul as well as the material universe.

22. Paramatma

(para--great, atma--see above)

One who is holier than the soul, subtler and more powerfulthan the soul and matter, who pervades and controlsthe soul.

23. Parameshwar(Param--great, I'shwara--powerful, see No. 7)

One who is All-powerful among the powerful--who isAlmighty.

24. Savita

(su--to create)

One who is the Creator of the universe.

25. Deva

(from the root div, which means to operate, desire to win, work,illuminate, praise, please, punish, sleep desire and know)

One who operates in the universe and governs it and doesall His works by His Own powers without help fromothers; Who desires or helps the good and therighteous to win over their enemies and is Himselfinvincible, gives all power and means to work; Whoknows everything and is just and glorious, illuminatesand enlightens all, is worthy of praise, All-blissful,bestows happiness on others, punishes the wickedand gladdens the hearts of the good and Himselfenjoys perpetual bliss; Who has ordained night for allto sleep and rest, and is the cause of dissolution,

when He causes souls to rest in the indefinable,imperceptible, primeval elementary matter--prakriti;


8/20

Whose will is holy and Who is desired and soughtafter by the good, and Who pervades all and knowsall.

26. Kuvera

(kuvi--to cover or spread)

One who covers all or overspreads all.

27. Prithivi

(prithu--to spread)

One who has spread this extensive universe.

28. Jala

(jala--to beat)

One who beats or punishes the wicked and beats the atoms

into shape, or beats them asunder in the Creation orDissolution of the universe, respectively.

29. Akash

(kash--to illuminate or enlighten)

One who illuminates or enlightens the whole world.

30. Anna

(from ad to eat)

One who eats or absorbs into Himself or contains theuniverse, animate and inanimate. As grubs are born inthe inside the fruit of a Fig tree, live and die in thesame, so the universe is born, lives and perishes inGod.


9/20

31. Vasu

(vas--to abide or dwell)

One who dwells in all things, and is the abode of all.

32. Rudir

(Rudir--to shed tears)

One who makes the wicked and the unjust shed tears. It issaid in the Shatapatha Brahmana, "Whatever a manthinks, he speaks; whatever he speaks the same heacts; whatever he acts, he reaps." In other words, aman reaps whatever he sows. When the wicked sufferpain in consequence of their sins at the hand of Divine

Justice, they wail and weep. He is, therefore, calledRudra.

33. Narayana

(Nara--water and souls, ayana--abode)

Signifies God, because He is the abode of souls andpervades them.

34. Chandra

(chadi--to please)

One who is All-bliss, and gives pleasure and happiness toothers.

35. Mangala

(mang--has the same meanings as gati, see No. 2)

One who is All-blissful, and showers bliss on the soul.

36. Budha


10/20

(budha--to know)

One who is All-knowledge and endows souls with knowledge.

37. Shakra

(shu--to purify)

One who is All-holy, and by Whose contact souls are alsopurified.

38. Shanaishchara

(shanaish--with ease, char--to go, eat)

One who reaches or gains access to all with ease, andpossesses great fortitude.

39. Rahu

(rah--to avoid, reject)

He Who is one without admixture of anything else. Whorejects the wicked, and frees others from the hands ofthe wicked.

40. Ketu

(kit--to abide or reside and cure disease)

One Who is the abode of the universe, free from death anddisease. He frees the emancipated souls from diseaseand suffering during the period of Salvation.

41. Yajna

(yaj--to shine, worship, combine, devise and give)

One who combines the different elements together and

evolves this world and its objects out of them, Who isworthy of being worshipped by the wise, was


11/20

worshipped by all the sages and seers from Brahmadownwards and will always be. He is the OmnipresentGod. "Yanja is the Omnipresent God", says theShatapatha Brahmana.

42. Hota

(hu--to give or take)

One who gives all that is worth giving to souls and receivesfrom them what is worth receiving.

43. Bandhu(bundha--to bind, connect)

One who keeps all the worlds bound by laws to Himself, andhelps to keep them in order so that they cannot moveout of their orbit or the laws of their constitution. Heis like a brother unto all the world and supports,protects, and gives happiness to all.

44. Pita

(pa--to protect, rear)

One who protects all. Just as a father, through paternal loveand kindness always desires the good of His children,even so does God--the Father of all--desire happinessfor all.

45. Pitamaha

The Father of fathers.

46. Prapitamaha

The Great-Grandfather.

47. Mata


12/20

God is named mata (mother), because He has happiness andprosperity of all souls at heart just as an earthlymother, out of extreme love and kindness, desireshappiness and prosperity for her offspring.

48. A'charya

(char--to conduct, move, go and, eat)

God is called so because He is the source of all trueknowledge and righteousness. It is through Him wereceive knowledge, and live virtuous lives.

49. Guru

(Gri--to speak)

The Teacher of all true knowledge and learning Whorevealed the Word of Salvation (Vedas) in thebeginning of the world; the Teacher of even all theearly teachers such as Agni, Vayu, A'ditya, Angira andBrahma. He is Immortal. Says the Yogashastra, "He isthe Teacher of even the most ancient teachers. He is

Immortal. Time cannot influence Him."

50. Aja

(aja--to combine, join, manifest or evolve)

One who combines the elements and atoms properly, andevolves the world out of them; unites bodies withsouls, and brings them out into the world, which is

called their birth. He is Himself never born.

51. Brahma

(brihi--to develop, multiply)

One who has created the world and multiplies it.

52. Satya


13/20

(sat--to exist)

One who is the true embodiment of existence among allexistences.

53. Jnana

One who knows all the world, animate and inanimate. "TheGreat God is Satya Jnana and Ananta"--TatiriyaUpanishad.

54. Ananta

One who has no limitations, boundaries, end, or dimensions.

55. Anadi

One who has no beginning, nor a first cause.

56. Ananda

One who is All-blissful and endows the emancipated soulswith bliss and bestows happiness on the good and therighteous.

57. Sata

(asi--to be)

One who exists in all times--the past, the present and thefuture--and is not limited by time.

58. Chit

(chit--to know)

One who is a truly conscious Being and endows souls withtrue knowledge of difference between right and

wrong.


14/20

59. Sachidananda

(sata+chit+ananda)

One who is a truly conscious, blissful Being.

60. Nitya

One Who is Firm, Immovable, Immortal, Eternal.

61. Shudha

(shudh--to purify)

One who is Himself pure and purifies others.

62. Mukta

(much--to free)

One who is always free from all sin and impurity, and frees

souls from sin and suffering.

63. Nitya shudha budha mukta subhava

One who is Eternal, Holy, Omniscient and Free.

64. Nirakara

(nir--no, akar--form)

One who has no form nor body nor is ever embodied.

65. Niranjana

(Nir--no, anj--form, colour, immorality, disorder)

One who is free from immoral conduct, disorders, etc., nor isHe the object of senses such as the eyes.


15/20

66. Ganapati

(Gana--host,pati--Lord)

One who is the Lord of hosts, i.e., of all the Material andSpiritual world, which He also protects.

67. Ganesha

(Gana--host, Isha--Lord)

Lord of Hosts.

68. Vishveshwara

(Vishwa--universe, lshwara--Lord)

Lord of the Universe.

69. Kutastha

One who pervades all, supports all, and yet Himselfundergoes no transformation.

70. Devi

This word has the same meanings as the word Deva, whichis of Masculine gender, whilst Devi is of femininegender. God has names in all the three genders.

71. Shakti

(shak--power)

One who is powerful enough to create the world.

72. Shri


16/20

(shri--to serve)

One who is served by all saints, sages and seers.

73. Lakshmi

(Laksh--to see and mark)

One who sees all the universe and endows it withdistinguishing marks or features, such as bodies witheyes, ears, etc.; trees with leaves, fruits and flowers;liquids and solids with different colours like black,white, red, etc.; earth with dust and rock, etc,: andsees them all. He is the most beautiful among the

beautiful. He is the chief Source of the Vedas, of theYogis and wisemen.

74. Saraswati

(sri, to achieve and know)

One who is possessed of infinite knowledge of the universe,of words, their objects and their relations.

75. Sarvashaktiman

One who does not require the assistance of another inaccomplishing His works, Who by His Own innatepower does all His work.

76. NiyayaakariNiyaaya is what is proved to be true by all the eight kinds of

evidence such as, Direct Cognition, Inference,Analogy, etc. It is the dispensing of justice withoutfavour or partiality. Niyayakari is One who practicesNiyaaya, i.e., truth, justice and righteousness.

77. Dayalu

(Daya--to give, take, go, know, protect, injure)


17/20

One who makes you fearless, knows all, protects the good,and punishes the wicked.

78. AdwaitaOne who is only One, and indivisible without any admixture,

either of the same kind (as man and woman are of thesame kind), or of a different kind (as trees and rocksare of different kinds from man), or made up ofdifferent parts. Consequently there is no relation ofthe whole to its parts, as in the case of body with itsparts such as, eyes, ears.

79. Nirguna

One who is free from the (distinguishing) properties ofmatter such as, Satwa, Rajas, Tamas, colour, taste,touch, smell; and is free from the properties of theindividual soul, such as finite power and knowledge,ignorance, passions and desires, and pain of all kinds.This definition is substantiated by the authority ofUpanishada. "He is free from sound, touch, colour,and such other qualities."

80. Saguna

One who possesses such attributes, as perfect knowledge,perfect bliss, purity, and infinite power.

Everything in this universe is saguna (positive) and nirguna(negative). For instance, the material objects arecalled nirguna because they are void of the properties

and powers of conscious beings, such as will andfeelings. Whilst they are also saguna (positive),because they possess their own material properties.The same is true of God. He is saguna, when He islooked upon as possessed of His own attributes suchas Omniscience and Omnipotence, but He is alsoNirguna, being free from the properties of matter andsoul.

81. Antaryami


18/20

One who pervades the animate as well as the inanimateuniverse, and controls it.

82. Dharma RajaOne who is free from sin and evil, and rejoices in truth,

justice and righteousness--He is the Great Judge.

83. Yama

One who governs all, administers justice to all and is thepersonification of Justice.

84. Bhagwan

(Bhag--to serve)

One who possesses all might and power, and is worthy ofbeing served and worshipped.

85. Manu

(man--to know)

He Who is the true embodiment of knowledge, and worthy ofbeing known and believed.

86. Purusha

(Pri--to fill, sustain)

One who fills the whole universe.

87. Vaishwambhara

One who sustains and preserves the world.

88. Kala


19/20

(kal--to count)

One who counts and classifies the material objects andsouls.

89. Shesha

One who undergoes no change during Creation orDissolution. He is the one Unchangeable EternalBeing.

90. A'pta

(ap--to pervade)

One who pervades the universe, is filled with all trueknowledge and righteousness, is the true Teacher ofall, accessible only to the good and the righteous, andfree from such bad attributes, as dishonesty, fraud,etc.

91. Shankara(sham--good, and kri--to do)

One who is the Benefactor of all, and Giver of happiness.

92. Mahadeva

(maha--great+deva)

One who is greatest among the great, the good, and thelearned, and is the Light of the world.

93. Priya

(Pri--to please and desire)

One who gladdens the good, the righteous and the true

seekers of salvation, and is worthy of being soughtafter--The embodiment of Love.


20/20

94. Swayambhu

(Swayam--self and bhu, to be)

One who is Self-existent, Uncreated.

95. Kavi

(ku=word)

One who is all-knowledge and reveals true knowledgethrough His Word (The Veda).

96. Shiva

One who is all Bliss and the Giver of happiness to all.

97. Swarat

One who is Self effulgent.

98. Suparna

One who is the Protector and Preserver of the Universe.

99. Matrishwa

One who is powerful like wind.

100. Garutman

One who is Mighty by nature.

A Question About Samskaras

Documents

Transcript of A Question About Samskaras