Yoga Dialogue | June 22 | T.N. Pardeshi
Yesterday, Yoga Day was celebrated everywhere with great enthusiasm. In most places, however, the focus remained limited to yoga postures, Surya Namaskar, and physical exercises conducted in the name of yoga. While a few lectures may have been organized on yoga and Ashtanga Yoga, there was a noticeable lack of discussions explaining what yoga truly means. Institutions such as the Indian Yoga Vidya Bhavan and similar organizations, however, continue to provide comprehensive education on the philosophy of yoga.
Yama and Niyama are the first two and most important limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. Although it may be difficult to fully incorporate them into one’s life, yoga remains incomplete without following at least some of their essential principles. These include personal, family, and social ethics. Values such as non-violence, truthfulness, and non-stealing, as well as ethical teachings like the Buddha’s Panchsheel, are closely connected with the principles of Yama and Niyama.
Respecting elders and caring for parents in their old age are timeless moral duties. Emotions such as hatred, jealousy, envy, lust, anger, attachment, and greed are natural human weaknesses, but keeping them under control is not impossible. Many villages and communities continue to suffer because of family disputes and rivalries. Even in the scientific age, conflicts over land and boundaries remain common. According to the author, a person cannot truly succeed in yoga while continuing such harmful practices.
Traffic rules are routinely violated in cities. Referring to recent incidents in Pune, the author notes how people became involved in public fights over minor issues such as vehicle scratches or road disputes. Ironically, many of these same individuals may also participate in Yoga Day celebrations.
The primary aim of yoga is to reduce mental disturbances and achieve inner calmness. Equally important is purification of the mind. People who engage in gossip, manipulation, or harmful behavior toward others may appear simple on the outside, but often make life difficult for those around them. Such individuals may practice yoga for years, but according to the author, they are merely exercising their bodies rather than embracing the true spirit of yoga.
Mental harassment is described as a serious social problem that can destroy lives and families. The author cites the example of a person in Pune who allegedly took his own life after prolonged workplace harassment. If those responsible also attend yoga classes, the question remains whether they have truly understood yoga’s values.
The author further recalls an official he once knew who regularly practiced yoga, meditation, and spiritual chanting under the guidance of a guru. Despite his disciplined routine, he remained deeply prejudiced, discriminatory, and oppressive in his behavior toward others.
According to Pardeshi, such spiritual practices become mere displays when they are not accompanied by ethical conduct. The root cause, he argues, is a failure to understand the true meaning of yoga and the importance of Yama and Niyama.
The article concludes that without moral discipline and self-transformation, yoga remains only a physical exercise rather than a path toward personal and social well-being.
(The author has written the books “Nath Sect of Garbhagiri” and “Mahayogi Shiv Gorakshanath.”)
Contact: 9970307110
