Finding a footing in the Supreme Consciousness: the last principle of niyama and the key to all the others. Why changeable supports give no lasting happiness, and how this principle is lived through regular meditation.
Iishvara prańidhána is taking shelter in the Supreme Consciousness. It is the final and key moral principle of the niyama group.
What does shelter mean? What gives us happiness? What do we lean on in our lives?
Health, intellect, money, work, family, friends and so on can be called our shelters, in which we look for happiness. But everything listed is changeable: today we have these things, and tomorrow we may lose them. That is, our happiness has no stability, no support.
The most reliable and solid foundation is spiritual reality, which never changes, whatever happens.
You take your foot off an unreliable support and set it on a more stable one, so that you yourself become powerful and invulnerable.
Prańidhána means removing from the mind the tendencies that belong to the worldly sphere and redirecting them into the spiritual sphere. In practical life this principle is carried out through the regular practice of meditation. The more happiness you realize in your relationship with the Supreme, the less vulnerable you become.
Wherever you go, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, nothing frightens you as long as your connection with the Supreme Consciousness remains. So nothing more is needed to be happy.
Of course, there are things that make our life more or less comfortable. But when happiness rests on an unshakable source, it will be permanent.
The principles of yama and niyama, which lie at the root of yoga, are its foundation. Without observing these principles it is dangerous to climb higher on the steps of yoga. The danger is that, having forgotten your high motives, you may misuse the energy you have accumulated, and that will lead to degeneration.
In essence, these principles guarantee success in basic meditation and go on being the foundation for more advanced yogic practices. For example, dhyána — the sixth step of yoga, advanced meditation — requires a deep understanding of the processes taking place in the mind. But one has to begin with the principles of Five principles for how we treat the world: not harming, truthfulness, not stealing, keeping the mind on the Supreme, not living beyond need. and Five principles for shaping oneself: cleanliness, contentment, service despite hardship, uplifting study, keeping the Supreme as life’s goal. and with basic meditation.
Assignment
- Practice meditation twice a day; train yourself to practice regularly. Even if you give it only a few minutes, try to immerse yourself in it completely.
- Always ask yourself: "What is the goal of my life? What do I live for? What do I need to do to reach my goal?" These questions are sometimes uncomfortable, and you would rather not think about them, but by working through them you make your spiritual foundation stronger and become established on the spiritual path. Once you have experienced a deep happiness that has filled every cell of your body, you know what it means — complete harmony with the universe. Such inspiration is a unique feeling.
Iishvara prańidhána means seeking shelter in the Supreme and not giving up until you attain the absolute truth and come to know the absolute reality.