Foreward 

In the present-day Society where the personality of man is being slowly dis­integrated owing to numerous dissensions in family life, widespread discontent and general physical debility, the only thing that can save him is the control of him­self, his mind. It is a must for every man and woman to discover a sure means to control and discipline the mind. Numerous methods have been recommended in ancient texts. Drishtiyoga or the Yoga of Sight is the simplest of all. It starts with concentration of the eyes on a chosen object and leads on to quietening of the mind and if it is wisely practiced then man can undoubtedly scale the summit of the ‘Blissful State’ of Samadhi.   The author, H.H. Swami Rama, one of the greatest living masters of Yoga, has had personal experience of this and therefore he has ventured to place this panacea before the society for the benefit of the mankind.

Table of Contents

                                       Chapter 1........................An Easy Method of Controlling the Mind

                                       Chapter 2 .......................Yoga Explained

                                       Chapter 3 .......................Divine Protection against all Hindrances and Sorrows

                                       Chapter 4 .......................Conception of God

                                       Chapter 5 .......................On what Objects should we Concentrate our Sight?

                                       Chapter 6 .......................Why Filthy Thoughts especially Spring Up at the Time of Practice?

                                       Chapter 7 .......................Obstacles in the First Stage

                                       Chapter 8 .......................Attunement of Mind with Sight

                                       Chapter 9 .......................Association of Thought and Reflection with Sight

                                       Chapter 10 .....................Different Grades of Aspirants

                                       Chapter 11......................Need of an Object for Concentration of Sight

                                       Chapter 12 .....................Concentration with Complete Negation of Thought

                                       Chapter 13......................How much the World owes to the Exalted, Emancipated Souls who Live in Recluse

                                       Chapter 14 .....................Influence of the Object

                                       Chapter 15 .....................Greatness of Sight

The author, H. H. Swami Rama was/is one of the greatest masters of Yoga. He entered Mahasamadhi (The Great Samadhi) in 1972 but He is still here for those who call on Him. He had a personal living experience of the dramatic effect of Drishtiyoga and wrote this little book to place this panacea before the Society for the benefit and uplifting of mankind. There was never a price tag associated with anything that Rama gave. His wisdom was and is priceless and always freely given. 

Rama visited our home in Moundsville, West Virginia on August 5-6, 1972 shortly before he left the world.  Rama, Betty Treadwell, my wife Shyama, son Mike and I drove to Oglebay Park, near Wheeling WV, to spend the day at the park.  While we were driving there Rama asked that I stop at a small church (Fairview Methodist Church) on Route 250 that had a cemetery beside it.  He then asked that I take his picture in the cemetery.  After he left and went back to Bud and Betty Treadwell's home in Avon Lake Ohio, one night I had a dream where he told me he was leaving the earth.  In the dream, I begged him not to go; he stayed for awhile, but within a few weeks he was gone (September 25, 1972).  Betty told us that he was laying in bed and started to cough.  He motioned everyone away, repeated the Sacred Word OM several times and then left.  

John Denver's song, "Almost Heaven - West Virginia" was a reality for us the weekend Rama visited us.  The way I accepted Rama was very uncharacteristic of me. I am a chemical engineer that analyzes things to the "ad nauseum" before I come to a conclusion.  Such was never the case with Rama.  Before I ever met him face to face I knew who he was through my heart, tears came to my eyes and that was it.  For the rest of my life since then I have never questioned it, even for one moment - Rama was/is God Incarnate!

Rama, Betty, Mike and Shyama                Rama in church graveyard

Oglebay Park, West Virginia                                                          

A Few Words on Swami Rama

One of the great living preachers of Yoga, Sri Swami Rama (birth name Ramachandra), the author of Drishtiyoga, hails from Akola, a small township in the State of Maharashtra, India.  He was born into a middle class Brahmin family, well known for its study of Vedanta.  While still a child Rama was always happy, intelligent, fearless, courageous and a true patriot.  He was greatly devoted to the higher values of life right from the beginning.  Under great pressure from his parents he went to school but soon realized that the education he received was not what he was aspiring for.  Half heartedly he attempted the matriculation examination but failed.  He left school and started his career by working in a mill in another town.  He soon came to know that the job he had was not conducive to his temperament because it proved to be a hindrance to his spiritual progress.  Meanwhile, he fell sick.  He then quit his job to return back to his home town.

Later he visited Gwalior where he had a divine vision and received guidance that completely changed his life.  The day after the vision he renounced the world and left Gwalior for the Himalayas to search for the ultimate Truth.  In his travels he visited all of the holy places in India and soon, by mastering the eight-fold path of Yoga attained the final stage of Self-realization - becoming One with God.  It is interesting to note that Rama did not take anyone as his Guru (spiritual teacher), but received guidance from the Divine.  At every crucial stage of his Sadhana (spiritual quest), the Lord Himself appeared before him in a saintly garb and disappeared after giving him the necessary instructions.  This happened at least three times in Rama's life.

The first thrilling experience for Rama was in Gwalior, and this experience was responsible for changing young Rama's life.  Rama had gone to Gwalior in search of a job and was staying with one of his father's friends.  He was looking for a suitable job and at the same time, as part of his spiritual quest was reading Gurucharita.  He had decided to complete the reading within three days by living on water alone.  Two days passed peacefully.  On the third day, Rama was uneasy for he was not able to overcome the thought that he should feed Brahmins (priestly class of Indians).  The thought made an impact on his mind but he had hardly any money to fulfill this desire.  Besides this he had so little money that he was going to have to write his elder brother for money to cover his trip back home.  It was an ordeal for him because he had never asked for help like this from anyone before and without money he could undertake the journey.

This troubling state of affairs made Rama very sad and he went to Jayaji Park for a walk.  Lost in his own thoughts Rama sat on a park bench and at around 8:00 PM he was alone in the park and it had started to get dark.  To get over his melancholy mood, Rama started to meditate and no sooner than he did this he was disturbed by a human voice.  He opened his eyes and found that a well built, tall and radiant old man was standing before him.  The old man said, "I am hungry, give me food!".  Rama wanted to give him something.  He put his hand into his pocket to give him some change but there was none there.  He had forgotten that the coat he was wearing was not the one he had the change in.  Rama felt very bad and replied," I am very sorry, but I have no money!"  The old man was not easily satisfied.  "If you have no money, why not give me your coat", he grinned.  "That I will", said Rama with relief.  He took off his coat and gave it to the old man.  In helplessness and humility Rama was no longer able to look at the saintly old man.  He was looking at the ground pondering regretfully that he was not able to give him money for food.  The old man took the coat and said softly, "Let Yoga be at your command, you will roll in spiritual wealth!".  With that, Rama quickly looked up and discovered that the old man had disappeared and so had his coat.  Rama ran all through the park and around the outside looking for him but could find no trace of the old man.  It was a miracle that moved Rama to his soul.  That same night he renounced the world and set out on foot to the Himalayas for Self Realization.

The second time something like this happened was when Rama was in Haridwar, a holy place on the banks of the Ganges River near the Himalayas.  From Gwailor, Rama had walked to the Chamunda jungles in the Himalayas.  On the other side of the holy Ganges he had a dip in the icy river water, spread out his scanty clothing to dry and sat on the glittering sand for meditation.  He had no food for three days and yet was not disturbed. No sooner than he had stopped meditating, a priest-like figure was standing before him, urging, "Don't torture yourself like this.  You have already mastered Yoga.  Food is ready for you.  Please come and take it."  Rama was in no mood to care for his physical wants; he was an enlightened person so he courteously declined.  The intruder would not take no for an answer.  He insisted that Rama come and eat.  Much against his will, Rama followed him to a nearby hut where delicious food was waiting for him.  Rama then accepted the food as a gift from God and asked the stranger who he was.  With all humility the stranger replied, "My name is Ramachandra.  I am a priest at Amarnath and I have come all this way to feed you.  Rama was greatly surprised at these words.  He wanted to have a searching look at this man of his own name who had come hundreds of miles from Amarnath  just to give him food.  He raised his head to look at the stranger but he had vanished.  Rama could see the divine play and ate the food with eyes full of gratitude for the Lord.

This event instilled in Rama the great desire to visit the shrine of Amarnath, the Himalayan abode of Lord Shiva.  Almost immediately, he set out on foot for the Himalayan shrine, scaling treacherous mountains to get there.  He stopped for a rest on the banks of the Satluj River in the heart of the Himalayan Mountains and it was there that the divine saint once again appeared.  This happened when Rama was in deep meditation.  In meditation he saw a radiant sanyasin standing before him, saying in a shrill voice, " If you want to go to Amarnath why don't you go alone?  You should undertake the journey immediately.  If you do not know the way, I am prepared to accompany you for I also want to go there."  Rama answered the call to go there in the affirmative and opened his eyes only to find that same sanyasin he had seen in meditation just a short while ago standing before him in person repeating the same words he had already heard.  Rama, accompanied by the sanyasin, commenced his onward journey to Amarnath.  They scaled the mountains up to Chandanwadi from where the icy track starts to the cave of Amarnath.  The path to Amarnath from that point was so treacherous it could only be traveled at the risk of one's life.  At this point the sanyasin abruptly stopped saying he was in no mood to go further. As if to test Rama, he told him to go alone.

It was a challenge that Rama heartedly accepted and he covered the dangerous icy trek by himself and finally reached the shrine.  As he entered into the cave where the shrine is located, he was astonished to see the same sanyasin standing before him and smiling.  Rama could ask him no questions for the sanyasin quickly disappeared.  The miracle filled Rama with a unique joy and he went into deep meditation.  While meditating he had the Divine Vision of Lord Shiva.

On achieving the last stage of Yoga (union with God), Rama spent many years in Kashmir, working there for the spiritual evolution of hundreds of people that included Hindus, Muslims and Christians.  Later he went down to Ludhiana in the Punjab and established an Ashram known as Tulsi Vatika.  He had innumerable disciples that included people of all faiths and walks of life.  To this Great One, everybody was a friend, irrespective of  faith, calling, social status or gender. Further, he made it his mission to help spiritually uplift every human soul.

According to Rama, God is nothing but the embodiment of Eternal peace, Bliss and fearlessness.  Yoga, to him is the discipline or technique by which the individual soul is united with the divinity.  He is convinced and confident, based on his own experience that such a union is only possible by performing all actions in the name of God.  By doing this the soul will learn to live every moment of life in God, experiencing constantly the three divine qualities of Eternal Peace, Bliss and Fearlessness. When this stage is reached, the soul will be completely free from worldly bondage and misery.  Rama said that this is possible for everyone irrespective of gender, profession or religion if and only if one sincerely and resolutely tries for it.  He further said that one does not have to renounce the world as he did, that Self Realization is possible within one's own society and family if sincere efforts are made in all eagerness to cultivate the desired right state of mind.

Rama has a large following in India and the West although he had not traveled as widely as some Missionaries do.  He believed and demonstrated that his unique ability from time to time, to pass on power by Sankalpa (mental vibrations) alone.  Traditionally, there are four ways of doing Shaktipata (assisting in the spiritual growth of another), and that is by giving one a Mantram, by touch, by sight and by Sankalpa.  He used all four methods, but mainly the last.

Rama was a simple radiant personality.  He was always dressed in white tahmat and kurta.  Unlike the saffron colored sanyasins, Rama reminds us of Sri Raman Maharsi and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahmsa.  His pleasing manners, humility, humor and simplicity were some of the qualities that camouflaged his real personality and in spite of his penetrating sharp eyes, a stranger was likely to mistake him for an ordinary man.   However, if you happen to be in his presence for a little while the first hand impressions would immediately be dispelled and you would be carried into the world of bliss by his divine vibrations. 

(My observation of Rama showed a much more complex scenario in his affect on different people.  When I was in his presence I felt the same thing as Dr. Kelkar.  It was impossible for me to even think a bad thought. However, I talked with others who got very sick in his presence and had to leave.  Once my wife Sharon ( Rama gave her the spiritual name Shyama) and I went to a picnic for Rama and she would start sobbing uncontrollably when she got within about 25 yards of him.  She eventually overcame the sobbing but at the time she said she couldn't stop.  Still, I knew others who were not seemingly affected at all.  My analysis was that the ones that were affected were ready for him and the unaffected ones were not.)

Rama gave spiritual guidance to thousands of people all over the world of different castes and creeds but not even once was he seen making anyone his own disciple or bring them to his own faith.  His uniqueness and universality lies in his confirming the faith of those who receive guidance from him in their own religions, deities or Gurus.  As stated earlier, Rama spent a major portion of his life in Kashmir and Ludhiana but finally moved to Haridwar where he had an Ashram.  His Ashram, well known as Ramkunj, a small prefabricated house with a beautiful garden was situated at the Sapta Sarovar, across the bund, right on the bank of the holy Ganges River.  The crystal clean, icy, blue water of the Ganges flows in front of the Ashram with its divine music,  High up in the sky is the Milky Way almost parallel to the Ganges.  Free of the interference of saffron colored disciples it was charged only with the divine vibrations of Rama.  The Ashram was the abode of peace and tranquility.

Rama has been kind enough to bless his devotees with many books, particularly in Hindi but also in Marathi and English.  Drishtiyoga was the second book in English, the first being, The World, a Wish Fulfilling Tree.

Great Yogis have from time to time said a lot about Yoga but very few have publicly discussed its technique.  Rama, perhaps for the first time, introduces the reader to a technique where even a novice can practice meditation and with such practice can reach the Supreme State. This valuable book of knowhow on Yoga will, I am sure, go a long way in making the science of Yoga accessible to the common man.

I must, on behalf of the Sangam and my own behalf, express deep gratitude to His Holiness Swami Rama for permitting the Sangam to publish this valuable thesis for the benefit of millions of thirsty souls.  I must also thank Sri V. R. Bapat for rendering this faithful translation into English, and Sri S. B. Athalye for sparing his valuable time in going through this manuscript.

R. S. Kelkar 

New Delhi

Ganga Dashehra

Chapter 1  

 An Easy Method of Controlling the Mind

The revered world teacher Shri ShankaraCharya in his question-answer style poses the question “Who can conquer the world?" and answers it thus: “He who can conquer his mind.” From a detailed study of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the treatises on the Science of Yoga and the Puranas, we learn that since the early days of the Vedas, people were finding it very difficult to control the mind. Vedic literature and scientific treatises like Patanjala Yoga aim at imparting knowledge of this technique.

During the Vedic period, society was carefree, well-knit, happy, healthy and dynamic. To sustain a society, which was so very highly developed, literary production had to attain an equally high standard. It had two main themes : the elaboration of the traditional ritualism and the speculations of the philosopher-cum-mystic on the nature of the ultimate reality. It did not cater either to the cravings of sensuous people or to their vulgar passions. On the other hand, its primary aim was to inculcate control of the sense organs and thus to ensure the spiritual and moral evolution of man. The authors were towering supermen who had cogitated for long years on the fundamental problems of life and death. They were paragons of virtue and set noble ideals before society. Even in those days control of mind was considered to be a utopian idea. Readers will therefore appreciate how very difficult it is bound to realize in modern times, The present day society is in a deca­dent state. Literature, which mirrors faithfully the life, thoughts and aspirations of society is currently produced mostly by immature and half-baked writers lacking in the backbone of character and high ethical standards.  It is third rate and its reading results in fanning vulgar passions. People have developed a taste for such lite­rature and their minds have become slaves of their sense organs, which are prone to seek only sensuous pleasures.  In such a desperately hopeless state of affairs to think and talk of controlling the mind is difficult but I assure you that it is not altogether impossible.  

If people in a society want to live with dignity and self respect, they must learn the art of controlling the mind. A diligent study of this art will not only lead to the evolution of a more disciplined and well poised society but it will enable man to work wonders. All modern inventions such as television, spaceships, electro­nic brain, etc. are the achievements of mighty and. dis­ciplined minds. A society that abounds in men who have trained and disciplined their minds can alone be­come mighty, glorious, prosperous and enjoy freedom.  If any country has ever been in need of learning the technique of controlling the mind and thus attaining strength, physical and spiritual, it is India, There are quarrels, bickering and fights between brothers and brothers and husbands and wives. We witness here numerous dissensions in family life, widespread discontent and gene­ral physical debility.  Therefore, it is a must for the men and women of this country to discover a sure means to control and discipline the mind. Numerous methods have been recommended in ancient texts but ‘Drishtiyoga - The Yoga of Sight (Tratak)' is the simplest of all. It starts with concentration of the eyes on a chosen object and leads on to the quietening of the mind and if it is wisely practiced then man can undoubtedly scale the summit of the ‘Blissful State (samadhi)’. The author has had personal experience of this and therefore he has ventured to place this panacea before the society for the benefit of the masses.

The word Tratak is used in the Science of Yoga. Before starting ‘control of life forces (pranayarna)’ the student of Yoga has to practice six yogic exercises whereby the body becomes pure, disease less and gains a healthy luster. This helps to build up the control tower of Life forces.

The six exercises are broadly as follows:  

    (1)    neti - Cleaning of nose and throat by putting a small thread or rubber tube through one nostril and slowly moving it out through the mouth.

    (2)    dhouti - Cleaning intestine and throat by inserting a small piece of cloth into the stomach and slowly taking it out.

    (3)    basti - This is similar to taking an enema.

    (4)    nauli - In a sitting or slightly bending forward position in standing, moving the stomach from right to left and vice-versa.

    (5)    kapal bhati - Inhaling and exhaling action with force like bellows; and

    (6)    tratak - Fixing the gaze steadfastly on any object.

In the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Shri Krishna has suggested the same technique to Arjuna to quiet the mind. He explains:

samam kayshirogrivam dharayannachalam sthiram

sampreksh nasikagr am swam dishachchanavlokyan

                                                         (B. G.,VI. 13)  

"Holding the trunk, head and neck erect and still, looking fixedly at the tip of the nose, without looking around start your practice."  

In these instructions Lord Shri Krishna implied the practice of tratak. Of all the sense organs the eyes are the most powerful.  The entire world consists of objects with forms and therefore it provides a rich feast for the eyes.  Wherever they wander they come across new and attractive forms.  In their wanderings, they drag the mind also after them. Because of the variety and the vastness of objects, the eyes do not remain steady on any one object nor do they allow the mind to be steady on any of them.  Therefore, even though God has endowed man with mighty powers, he becomes prey to perishable sense objects and ultimately ruins himself.  These very eyes were instrumental in rousing Bilvamangal’s passion to commit adultery.  However in the nick of time wisdom dawned on him. He repented for his folly and asked for two needles from the lady, thrust them into his eyes and thus destroyed his eyesight.  Later on he devoted his life to singing devotional songs in the praise of Lord Shri Krishna.  Thus, he became famous as blind Surdas.

It is not intended to suggest to everyone to make one­self blind as Surdas did. The technique suggested is to control and conserve the vision capacity of the eyes by training the eyes and to harness it to achieve the final goal of stilling the mind. In ones eyes God has kept a reservoir of tremendous energy. By harnessing it man can accomplish the impossible only if he knows how to make the best use of this precious gift.

Nowadays, in the West by fixed gazing, the mesmerists and hypnotists are exhibiting wonderful feats such as making the man insensitive to pain, inducing forced sleep and making him act as per suggestions. The Westerners consider it as a feat of willpower. By willpower man can achieve wonderful success in the material field - he can amass plenty of money in business; he can be a learned scholar; he can he a powerful orator; he can earn great name and fame.  It should, however, be remembered that it is not enough to have such power; one must know how to use it in a just and righteous way. Otherwise man is likely to misuse it to satisfy his lustful and selfish desires by immoral and wicked means. That will ruin him completely.  Therefore, before acquiring such power, one should learn to lead a righteous life and acquire efficiency in the proper use of willpower.  There is thus a vital difference between the Eastern and Western ideologies. The Westerners attempt concentration on a black point and that too with a view to accomplishing some selfish desires.   

On the other hand, ancient sages of the East have suggested such objects for concentration which have a glorious past history; objects which are endowed with divine qualities like righteousness, piety, unalloyed and unselfish love and a sincere urge to serve God by serving humanity.  By concentrating one’s mind on the pictures of great personalities like Bhagwan Ramchandra, Bhagwan Krishna, Shri Ved Vyas, Shri Vasistha, Jesus, Buddha, slowly but surely one gets surcharged with their divine qualities. The science of Yoga propounded by Patanjali establishes the truth of the above proposition.  It is for this reason that we decorate our houses with statues, idols and pictures of great men like Shri Shivaji, Rana Pratap, Mahatma Gandhi, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhagwan Ramchandra, Bhagwan Krishna, Bhishma Pitamah, Bhimsen, Swami Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Rama, Jesus, Mary, Buddha etc. Our object in doing this is that whenever we look at them we should be reminded of their noble qualities and if perchance we succeed in concentrating our eyes on them then we would draw inspiration from them and try to inculcate in ourselves their noble virtues and thus make our lives sublime.  It is, however, a pity that while there is hardly any person who does not have such statues or pictures in his house, they are there merely as pieces of decoration and not intended to enhance the beauty of the inner Self by imbibing their divine qualities.  In fact, all of us decorate our houses with a number of pictures, statues and photographs of great and divine personalities but neither do we fix our gaze on them steadfastly nor do we think of imbibing their noble virtues.  Concentrating one’s eyes on the picture of any divine personality, or if the human figure is not acceptable then on any divine symbol like ‘Om’ is the first lesson in the Tratak practice.

Someone may venture to enquire as to what benefit one can derive by simply looking at a picture or a symbol. With all humility Rama submits that in steadily looking at the object lies hidden the unfoldment or unmanifest divine powers. There is a great scientific truth in it. There is a very close connection between our eye­sight and our life-force (Prana). When we concentrate our eyesight on any object for a long time then the flow of our life-force becomes rhythmical and steady.  Generally, a healthy person breathes (inhaling and exhaling action is counted as one) 15 times per minute. In the case of a weak or sick person this increases to 25-30 times per minute. Again, there is interdependence between our breathing and thought or desire ripples. In one inhalation there can be one ripple of thought or desire.  Similarly, in one exhalation one similar ripple can arise.  In this way in one complete cycle of breathing man can have two thoughts or desires. This means that in a minute a healthy person can have 30 thoughts whereas in the case of a sick person the thoughts increase to 50 or 60. Thus, the mind of a person who has 60 thoughts per minute in his mind will be fixed on each single thought for a second only and in the next second it will flit on to another. Naturally, his mental energy will be concentrated on each thought for only a fraction of time; therefore, that thought will not receive sufficient mental energy for its fulfillment.  In this way thousands of weak and therefore unfulfilled desires lie in heaps in the lumber room of the mind.

Consequently such a disappointed and dejected man puts the blame on the world, or on God for his utter failure throughout life. But he hardly realizes that neither the world nor God is responsible for his failure.  The blame lies at his door only.  His own weakness, the low caliber of his means and lack of control over the eyes and mind energy are responsible for his failure.  As the sight becomes steady the current of the life force becomes steady and uniform.  The mind always travels as though in a car or an airplane of life-force.  Naturally mind has no speed of its own.  Its speed is governed by and is the same as that of the life-force. Therefore, when the speed of the life-force slows down, the mind also slows down. Thus, when you slow down your breathing, the thought ripple remains for a longer time and therefore the mind is concentrated on that thought for a longer time. Consequently such a thought becomes very powerful and it is fulfilled.

Rama’s own experience while he was staying in the Bhutnath cave near Hardwar may be illuminating to the readers. Consciously or unconsciously Rama used to feel that having developed the attitude of complete surrender to God he had no desires of his own to he fulfilled.  Whatever things he needed were required in order to serve Him only and therefore without Rama’s asking for them God should give them to him.  In spiritual practice, in order to reckon the proper proportion of 1; 4 ; 2 in inhalation, retention and exhalation of breath Rama badly needed a watch. One day while sitting for meditation, the idea of a watch suddenly flashed into Rama’s mind.  At the same time, another thought sprang up suggesting that if force is created in the desire for a watch then the merciful God was sure to fulfill that desire. Rama’s heart was filled with joy. He wanted to carry out an experiment and discover whether or not if the mind is concentrated on one single thought continuously for hours together God would fulfill the thought or not.

In the same afternoon he wrote on a piece of paper ‘Wanted Watch’ and fixed it on the wall in front of him, and in a sitting posture started gazing at it.  Thus nearly two hours passed. There was then a knock on the door. The stranger said ‘I am a visitor; please open the door’. Rama considered his coming as an obstacle in his practice.  However, Rama very reluctantly opened the door and the visitor came in. After a formal talk he enquired as to how Rama arranged for his food and how Rama spent the whole day in the cave.  Suddenly the stranger’s eyes fell on the paper and he said, ‘So you need a watch; please let us know if you need anything else’. He then left.  The next day he dropped in and presented to Rama a beautiful alarm timepiece and entreated him to let him know if Rama needed anything else. He then took leave of Rama. Therefore if we desire to make our life mission successful and lead a dynamic, powerful and peaceful life, we must practice concentration of our eyes on a picture of some great personality or on the image of God.

Our ancient Aryan religion recognizes the liberation of man as the highest achievement and summum bonum of life, enjoyment of material objects or attainment of material prosperity were never recognized as ultimate aims because material enjoyments and wealth in the ultimate analysis are transient and one day or the other they are bound to perish. Thus, if we hanker after them they are sure to desert us, leaving us unhappy, distracted and dejected.  This is precisely why our ancient religion and culture beckon us towards that high goal, the Ultimate Reality, which symbolizes truth and immortality.  While steering our path by keeping that beacon-light always in our view, we will never lose our peace of mind.  The dark clouds of sorrow will never invade our kingdom of beatitude; and enjoying the blissful state throughout life we will discharge our ordained duties with serenity, unattachment and great zeal. The Yoga of Sight about which you will learn more in the following pages is intended to take you to that destination.  The first step in this practice is to concentrate your eyes on the form of God that you select.

Chapter 2

 Yoga Explained

Oh mind, who is truly happy in the world? Enquire and find out for yourself. Thus saint Ramdas in his crack whip style addressed the mind. Knowing the negative reply he consoled it by saying "The joy or sorrow which comes your way in this world is of your own making; it is the result of your past good or bad actions."  In spite of material prosperity and the great strides that science has made, man’s happiness has not increased. Nay, the twentieth century man is not even a wee bit happier than his compeer in the first century. His desires have increased out of all proportions to their actual fulfillment and each unfulfilled desire adds to his sorrow. This can mathematically be well illustrated; Happiness can be equated to a fraction whose denominator is the sum total of man’s desires and numerator denotes the number of desires fulfilled at any given moment. You will find that the denominator goes on increasing rapidly whereas the numerator increases very slowly. The value of such a fraction goes on diminishing. It is no wonder then that whenever one looks around one cannot notice anyone who is free from anxieties, worries and sorrows.  Take the case of even the richest man in the world, you will find him affected by the cancer of desires and carbuncles of conceit. This is apart from his thousand and one physical ailments, but his greed for aggrandizement hardly leaves him time to pause and discover that happiness does not depend upon riches or material objects. Similarly, take the poor man. His careworn face will at once betray that happiness has deserted him for ages.

Happiness is therefore like a mirage to everybody. The more one hankers after it the more it eludes him. And yet man has not given up his incessant quest for happiness, because the source of happiness is within himself. His inner self is nothing else but pure existence, consciousness and bliss (Sat-chit-anand). All the attempts are thus directed towards regaining the lost paradise. You will naturally pose a question, if our real nature is bliss, then why are we all suffering? Our ignorance (avidya) and non-apprehension of reality (maya) are the root-cause of all our sufferings. Since we have lost the intelligence and capacity to recognize our true nature we got ourselves entangled in the meshes of the world (samsar) and we are still in chains, forged and tied around ourselves by ourselves.

A newly born lion cub once strayed out of the com­pany of lions and fell in the company of a flock of sheep. It remained in their company for quite a long time with the result that it lost its awareness of being a lion and began behaving like sheep only. One day a lion chanced to see it and felt pity for it.  In order to make the cub realize its true nature, the lion took it to a nearby lake and helped it to peep into water. The moment the cub saw its real image in the water, it recognized its true self and then roared out in great joy. Man’s condition is just like, that of the cub brought up in the midst of a flock of sheep. If once he succeeds in self discovery, either through the grace of some teacher (Guru) or his own efforts then he is sure to regain his ‘sat-chit-anand’ state. There are saints, a few indeed living now also, who are not only themselves ever established in this state but can take others to that state by their grace.

The ancient Aryan religion gives us the golden key of yoga to open the gates of the kingdom of happiness so that we can straightaway walk up to the throne and claim the sole monarchy.  If there is any word of Indian philosophy, which is widely used but generally misunderstood, it is the word yoga. Our own people as well as foreigners have a misconception of a yogin. They recall to their mind a picture of a half-clad or nude person with a long beard, body besmeared with ashes all over, sitting in some jungle or lying with his back on a wooden platform covered with iron nails, or wandering on the banks of some river with a begging howl and a wand in his hands. His only claim is he can perform some miraculous feats. It is utterly a false picture. A real yogin is one who, whatever may be his outward appearance, is ever merged with the supreme Reality (Brahman). This state is achieved by the constant practice of yoga.  

Yoga is a Sanskrit word derived from the root ‘yuj = to join’. The idea of joining conveys three things. The two objects which are to be joined together and the third is the process or technique of joining them together. It is called yoga. It should however be remembered that this process of joining is neither physical nor chemical in nature, it is, moreover, so subtle and super­fine that once the joining is complete, the man loses his identify completely and becomes one with God.

The technique of this union has been exquisitely ex­plained in the Vedas, Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, Patanjala Yoga Sutras, etc. Patanjala’s Yoga Sutras open with the Sutra - ”yogah cittavrattinirodhah.” Yoga means the control and cessation of thought ripples.  

The Bhagavad-Gita propounds three major yogas: Karma yoga, Jnana yoga and Bhakti yoga.  In an epigrammatic style it has given the quintessence of yoga in sen­tences like:

samatvam yoga uchyate - Poise of mind is called yoga.

yogah Karmasu Kausalam - Yoga is skill in action, etc.

There are several other yogas such as Dhyan yoga, Raj yoga, Hatha yoga, Japa yoga and Mantra yoga. In fact, there are numerous yogas to suit the taste and aptitude of every aspirant. All processes are however the same inasmuch as they lead to the same goal.

The yoga of sight is one of them.  The organ and faculty of perception are the pivotal points in the technique of this yoga.

"Dristim jnanamayim kritva, jagat Bharmamayam pasyet." 

Dear friends, Rama can discern a mischievous smile and impatience on your faces, showing you are skeptical about the achievements of yoga.  At the same time, you are eager to catch hold of the promised happiness.  

Lord Shri Krishna guarantees the result thus,

yujan evam sada tmanan yogi niyatamanasah

santim nirvan paramam matsamstham adhigacchati

(B.G., VI. 15)

"The yogin of subdued mind ever keeping himself thus harmonized attains peace, the supreme bliss which rests in Me."  

Again he declares, 

prasan tamanasam hyenam yoginam sukham uttomam

upaiti santarajasam brahmabhutam akalmasam

                                                               (B.G., VI. 27)

"For supreme happiness comes to the yogin whose mind is peaceful, 

whose passions are at rest, who is sinless and who is identified with God."  

Of course, the nature of supreme happiness cannot be described by words. It is a matter for personal realization only. However, for mental evaluation, the Taittiriya Upanishad gives us a glimpse of that happiness. The measure of a unit of happiness is described thus - suppose there be a youth that is good, well disciplined, healthy and strong. Imagine that all this earth with its entire wealth belongs to him. This happiness, if multiplied by hundred fold is the happiness enjoyed by human Gandharvas. A hundred times more than this is the happiness of celestial Gandharvas; hundred fold of this is the happiness of the Manes; again, multiply by one hundred and you get the happiness of those born in Devaloka. This progressive ladder of happiness continues high up until you reach the stage of sat-chit-anand and remember all this is promised to any and every mortal who knows the path of yoga and practices it.

Chapter 3

 Divine Protection against all Hindrances and Sorrow

All living creatures seek peace and harmony. Instinctively they are whipped by two constant urges (i) escape from pain and sorrow and (ii) attain happiness. However, external as well as internal forces often thwart human endeavor on this behalf. They are the cause and effect of conscious as well as unconscious actions of all things put together. These miseries and sorrows have been described in ancient scriptures as Adhyatmic Adhi­bhautjc and Adhidaivjc, The first are those which are attributable to our own self; our physical ailments, men­tal agitations and emotional upsets all fall in this category; the second are external, created either by natural forces or those inflected upon us by other living beings. Calamities like earthquakes and famines caused by natural forces and personal injuries or harm done by others fall in the second category.  The last are those, which one has to suffer in the life hereafter as a result of one’s own present wrong actions.

The brain-cracking problem is whether there can be any escape from pain and sorrow. The Bhagavad-Gita emphatically assures us that one can overcome all sorrows:

maccittah sarvadurgani

matprasadat tarisyai

                                                   (B.G., XVIII. 58)

"Fixing the thought on Me, thou shalt, by My grace, cross over all difficulties!"

The cure is sure and certain and not like a doctor’s medicine which may or may not give you relief. Therefore the panacea for all sorrows and miseries in the world is to obtain His Grace.  The method to obtain that Grace has also been shown in:  

Sarvadharman parityajya

mam ekam saranarn viaja

                                                          (B.G., XVIII. 66)

"Unreserved self-surrender ensures Supreme Bliss that offers divine protection and divine grace." 

Such a divine protection Saint Mira enjoyed. She was given a cup of poison to drink; it had no effect on her.  While she was going from one village to another, her relatives sent assassins to kill her; their arms and weapons could not do any harm to her.  Similarly Bhakta Pralhad felt no torture when he was put in a frying pan and thrown down a steep cliff. Devotees like these could overcome their sorrows just by complete surrender to Him. The attitude of self-surrender is gradually developed by the practice of the yoga of sight.

Chapter 4

 Conception of God

The Bhagavad-Gita is a very precious jewel of ancient Aryan spiritual literature. Very pithily it proclaims the nature of God in:

avinasi tu tadviddhi

yen sarvam idam tatam

                                            (B.G., II. 16)

"Know it as imperishable, that which pervades everything." 

The entire world is filled with it. There is not even an iota of space which is not occupied by it. In the srutis, the Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gita and elsewhere God has verily been described as ‘that which is beyond the ken of mind and other senses’, ‘Om is the imperishable reality’. It is Om etc.’ Having thus enlightened ourselves from the considered opinion expressed in the authoritative scriptures like srutis, Smritis, etc. about the nature of God, doubts will naturally arise in one’s mind as to ‘How we can concentrate our eyes on God when His form or nature is beyond the comprehension of mind, speech and other sense organs? How can we bring it before our mind’s eye?’ To ask us to concentrate our eyes on an object which is beyond perception, is as meaningless as to advise eating fruits from the garden of space to satiate our hunger!’  Indeed, it looks chimerical!  But let us pause and ponder over to find out if it is possible. The holy scriptures tell us ‘God is unmanifest, formless; the entire world is filled by Him and He is symbolized by the Word Om.’ Perfectly all right.

Let us turn to geometry to see whether it can suggest to us any solution to our problem. The entire edifice of geometry is based on the solid foundation of ‘point’. The geometricians define point as that which has neither length, breadth nor thickness.  The ‘point’ of geometricians is formless and therefore it is not an object which can be perceived.  Still they have developed the idea of a line, which is formed by placing innumerable points together.  When arranged in one particular manner, such lines go to form a triangle. Developing the idea further, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, circle - all such perceptible figures are conceived from ‘point’ only.  All these figures are thus conglomerations of formless points only. Therefore, whether we think of a triangle, a quadrilateral, a circle or for that matter any geometric figure, we perceive ‘point’ only which in reality is unmanifest, formless and indivisible.  In a similar way, it can be logically deduced that all objects and forms in this world are manifestations of that Om (a symbol of Supreme Reality) which is indivisible, unmanifest, formless and indestructible. Therefore, even if we meditate and concentrate upon any object of the world taking it to be the manifestation of God we will derive the same benefits as by concentration on God. We turn to another illustration to convince ourselves whether that Om which is formless and unmanifest can or cannot be an object of perception. The Srutis tell us:

akasat vayuh vayoh agnih

agneh opah adbhyah prithvi

                                                                   (Taittiriya Upanishad 1-2)

"From space air emerged, from air fire, from fire water and from water earth."

The Vedas declare:

"purus evedarn sarvarn"

                                                       (Shvetashvataropanishad 3 -15)

"All this is He alone!"

Our modern science tells us that when two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen are combined together, heat is produced and drops of water are formed.  Any student of physics can demon­strate this by experiment in the laboratory. Thus, from the combination of gases, which are not perceptible to our eyes are obtained heat and water which can be felt and perceived by our sense organs. When water stills down then some particles of impurities settle down; thus earth is formed. It is therefore an established fact that in water there are invisible gas elements of oxygen and hydrogen. There are heat and earth also. Now observe, in space that cannot be seen, various kinds of gases are present and in each and every particle of gas there is space because no particle can exist without space. Since gas is in water space is equally in water.  If we decompose water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen then no trace of water is left. In other words, water then takes the form of gases and gases in turn are nothing but forms of space. Therefore, when we think of water, you will understand that whether we realize it or not we naturally think of space, which we cannot see with the naked eyes. The entire universe is formed out of the five elements described above and these subtle elements are the manifestations of the imperceptible God. Therefore if we meditate upon any object in this universe accepting it to be God then without our conscious efforts we will automatically be meditating upon God only.  As a consequence we will reap the fruit of direct meditation and vision of God.  Assuming that by concentrating on any physical object in this world - thinking it to be a manifestation of God we can achieve the desired goal of concentration on the formless God.  Still, the question arises since there are innumerable objects in the universe and we cannot possibly concentrate on all of them, then what object should we choose for meditation?

Lord Krishna, the eminent King of the Yadavas, who is considered an epitome of bliss par excellence has given us the answer in his ambrosial song:

Yad-yad vibhutimat sattwam

SrIrnad urjitain eva va

tad-tad era vagachhatwam

mam  tejonsasarnbhavarn

                                                (B.G., X. 41)  

  "Every such creature as is endowed with splendor, brilliance of power

know that to be my manifestation or a spark of my effulgence."

In the four categories of creation such as (Swedaj, udbhij, andaj and jarayuj) born out of sweat like bac­teria, born from seeds like plants and trees, born from eggs like birds and serpents and those born from the womb like animals and men; man occupies the first rank and amongst men he who is endowed with sublime and divine qualities like high moral sense, selfless love, profound knowledge, infinite capacity to work, boundless fortitude and inborn fearlessness is supreme.  Here are a few examples of such great personalities Lord Ramchandra, Shri Krishna, Vishnu, Shri Dattatreya, Bhagwati Durga, Annapoorna, Savitri, Saraswati, Umeshwari, Gayatri, Kali, Jesus, Buddha, etc.

Chapter 5

 On what Objects should We Concentrate our Sight ?

In this wide world, full of rich diversity, no two persons’ tastes or likes and dislikes are the same even though the common bond of humanity runs through all of them.  According to the carried forward impressions of past births as well as according to natural tendencies, every one follows pursuit of his liking. Thus, one is found engaged in swelling his bank balances; someone hankers after social status, someone considers teaching as his life mission; someone is interested in doing humanitarian work; someone retires to the jungle and spends his life in meditation. On account of such a variety of tastes and pursuits men are bound to differ in their ideals of worship. In consonance with his avowed goal, each one will seek the fulfillment of his desires. Thus, someone will take to the worship of Laxmi, another to that of Sarasvati, yet another will worship Rama or Kali, the destroyers of evil doers, whereas someone may worship Shri Krishna, who is deeply attached to his devotees or Bhagwan Shankar, who is ever in tune with the Infinite. Therefore, howsoever ideal one particular object of meditation may be, it would be a great blunder to recommend the same object to one and all.  We witness violent and uncompromising controversies raging around us because of the large number of divergent schools of thoughts interpreting the ancient Aryan religion and sponsoring various ideals of worship. Some say Rama is the only ideal manifestation of God. Some disregard him and extol Lord Krishna; there is yet another school which looks down upon earlier schools and propagates the cult of Lord Shankar. Some others, discarding other forms of Gods and Goddesses, hold in high esteem either Bhagawati Kali or Sarasvati. Apart from all of these, there is yet another school of thought which bitterly inveighs worship in any form but advo­cates worship of the formless Om as the best. There are a few more schools of thought whose approach is alto­gether different. These schools denounce every religion and worship as a big humbug and opine that there is no need to believe in God or to presume the existence of any Supreme power. Since we are least concerned with this last school in our discussion, it is considered irrelevant and otiose to dilate upon this theory.

In order to support their stand, the votaries of ‘Om’ advance the argument that the prevalence of the caste system, class distinction, idolatry and acceptance and worship of innumerable Gods and Goddesses are respon­sible for making Indians weak, servile, pessimistic, down­trodden and a third-rate nation. This criticism may be true to a certain extent, but a little more reflection shows that it is hardly justified. In this world there are people who believe in one God; however, can we vouchsafe that they are not divided by internal factions or rivalry? Are not some such nations still in bondage? Do we not encounter such people indulging in immoral, unjust and atrocious activities for their selfish designs? When this is the state of affairs of nations which believe in one God when we find that they have also failed to achieve high human ideals, it is preposterous to advance aforesaid causes for the downfall of India. So long as man is not in a position to control his mind and sense organs and thereby to become the master of his nature he is bound to be a slave to his natural tendencies. We notice that, even in the case of one individual, thousands of varieties of thought spring forth in his mind day in and day out. Therefore, how can we expect that several individuals with divergent natural traits will have only one taste and will be inclined to accept an identical object for concentration? In fact, there is nothing wrong in having different objects for concentration to suit the varieties of tastes.

Do we not realize that a nation, country or society does need the services of experts and technicians in every walk of life; such as engineers, teachers, business magnates, artisans, generals, commanders, admirals, musicians, dancers, etc.? Every one of them is deeply interested in his own subject and devotes himself wholeheartedly to attain perfection in his field. There is nothing wrong in his deep devotion to his own subjects and their presiding deities, but for which he would not attain excellence in his profession. However, what is objectionable is the irrational assumption that his own deity is supreme and superior and therefore he condemns the beliefs of others. If the worshippers of different Gods and deities could rationally think and realize that although their individual God is supreme, He being indivisible and all pervading, all others are also worshipping ‘Him’ only in different names and forms, the whole outlook would change. All kinds of misunderstanding, which is the root cause of all trouble and turmoil in the world, will come to an end. Such a rational approach would lead to mutual understanding and tolerance and every one would be following his pursuit with perfect understanding by concentrating on his favorite deity. Thus, the object of concentration may differ but every one would serve only one Supreme and all pervading Reality within his own society, state or nation. While thus enriching his own society, state or nation he himself could reach the summit of both mundane as well as spiritual progress and ultimately attain the blissful state, which is the summum bonum of spiritual life. All this is possible only when the aspirant gains true knowledge of that indivisible, infinite, all powerful and all pervasive Supreme Reality.

This knowledge can be gradually acquired and imbibed by reading, reflecting and contemplating upon the teachings of sacred books like the Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gita etc., by worshipping Him with devotion and rendering selfless service to humanity according to one’s ability, means and natural inclination. In our society today this ideal of devotion and selfless service is however, conspicuously absent. What one witnesses is a mere show and sham since there is lack of sincerity, faith and fixity of purpose. However high a man’s object of meditation may be, whether with or without form, if he shows intolerance towards a similar ideal of another, then know for certain that he has no genuine and high esteem for his own ideal as well and that he has not realized the omnipresence of the object of his own worship.  Consequently he fails to recognize the identity of the diverse objects of worship and in his ignorance he looks down upon adherents of other forms of worship. However, he who has realized the oneness and all pervasiveness of the object of his own meditation can have no quarrel with those who choose other objects for their meditation. To denounce others’ ideals and