Two swans frolic, in the sacred lake of your heart
When distracted, you feel lonely and downcast
The other is your soul mate even while you ignore
Waiting for your mind to turn back to joyful home
[SB 4.28.54]

This article describes a discussion between Professor Gopinath and students as they walk along the bank of river Charles in Boston. The discussion is on the deeper meanings of yoga — the practice and the goal — in terms of its fundamental essence and its surface manifestations.

Scene

One fine evening the students and Professor Gopinath decided to go for a yoga session in the Boston commons park. After the session, they decided to walk back along the Charles River. The cool moisture-laden evening breeze, the lush green esplanade, and the rejuvenation after the yoga session all created a perfect field for diving into a deep discussion.

The literal meaning of Yoga

Professor: A professor from Minnesota visited us last week. As we were discussing about the self and the bigger picture in life, he asked me what is Yoga? This is a term that rings in the minds of most people whenever there is a discussion about self.

Karan: So, what did you reply?

Professor: Oh, it was a nice discussion. The word yoga literally means "to connect". It signifies a relationship.

Karan: I thought you would describe some exercises or breathing techniques. What is the connection between relationship and yoga?

Professor: Let us start with the relationship first. A relationship could be between us and another being, between us and another object, or between two distinct objects. What are your thoughts?

Karan: We all experience relationships. As soon as we are born, we enter into a relationship with our parents, who nurture us without expecting any returns. What to speak of their sleepless nights, anxiety about our health and safety, concerns about our learning and growth curves, we literally become the centers of their lives. But it is the sheer joy of the relationship that keeps them going day after day tirelessly.

Tina: As I grew up, I experienced relationships with my school friends. Whether it was sharing our tiffin boxes, celebrating festivals, or caring for each other in times of failure, I found a home in that friendship, without which my world appeared incomplete. How lonely I would feel the day she did not come to school.

Professor: Then puberty kicks off, and we become cognizant of a new kind of sensual perception. However, beyond this cloud of sensual experience arises a new relationship called marriage, a deep bond with someone we commit to spend our lives with. Taking up responsibilities, together we grow and engage with the community around us.

Tina: Relationships are a source of immense happiness. That is why they become the driver of our activities.

Subal: But they do have a downside too. They could become a source of misery. Divorces and break-ups are painful facts of today's society.

Professor: All these relationships have a beginning and an end. Yes, the end could be bitter, very bitter.

Karan: Parents feel dejected when their children abandon them. Our lab in-charge, in his late 50s, told me during lunch one day that while driving his daughter to her college, she pointed to a fancy old age home and told him, "Dad, this place will be nice for you after retirement." While she may have good intentions, the remark gave the ageing man a sharp pain.

Tina: Friends may develop disagreements and misunderstandings or forget each other after graduation.

Professor: Above all, death is undoubtedly the cruel snapper of all these relationships. But our potential or inner drive for relationships seems unending. Somewhere inside, the heart asks - is our relationship merely skin-deep? The longing for a real and lasting relationship is real.

Science of Relationships: Physics and Gita

Crossing the foot-over bridge, they reached Fiedler Field, where they beheld the gorgeous Longfellow bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge, spanning the broad Charles River. A hazy view of the science museum was behind the bridge.

Professor: Physicists study the relationships between two objects (matter), and Gita studies relationships between a living being and other entities, matter or living. Both these disciplines have developed fantastic tools that can help us.

Physics sees everything as either fundamental or a temporary combination of something more fundamental. For example, table salt is a temporary combination of Na and Cl, which are themselves a temporary combination of protons, neutrons and electrons. As per the current understanding of Physics, quarks, leptons, and bosons are the fundamental building blocks of matter. They are fundamental because they cannot be destroyed, and they cannot be broken down into something more fundamental. The question is, how do Physicists arrive at that understanding? The answer is by relationships. These fundamental entities are identified by their relationships with each other, as observed in careful experiments. The relationships that exist between fundamental entities are also fundamental. The repulsion between two electrons, or the relationship between an electron and a photon, as seen in the photoelectric effect, defines the fundamental properties of these fundamental entities.

Karan: And what does Gita say about this?

Professor: Gita applies these principles of analyzing fundamental to study the relationship of a living being with matter or another living being.

Subal: When we say Yoga, what fundamental entities are involved, and how can we apply these principles?

Professor: The first entity is the self. That is, I, the observer, in its pure form. Pure form means my real nature, uninfluenced by any external agency [BG 2.13]. For example, the properties of pure iron are different from those of rusted iron; pure iron is denoted as Fe, while the rusted one could be Fe2O3. Similarly, what is my pure form? What are my desires, perceptions, and activities uninfluenced by any external agency? One's desire to possess a smartphone is undoubtedly influenced by external agencies such as advertisements and peers. One’s craving to smoke is under the influence of hormones which behave in that way because of one’s past indulgence in smoking. To reduce the cloud of external influences and appreciate our pure nature, many things can be helpful - such as disciplined life, abstaining from addictive influences, etc.

The other entity is the one with whom we have our fundamental relationship [chapter 15, 15.6]. That is, Supersoul, who is our fundamental friend and well-wisher. The fundamental relationship with Supersoul is the source of fundamental happiness and satisfaction. This happiness is so strong that the happiness derived from all external influences and relationships is so puny in its comparison. The term "Supersoul" should not be confused with Superman — a man who has earned special powers, but it denotes the fundamental entity who maintains and nourishes all other fundamental entities by relationship [BG 15.18, KU 2.2.13]. Gita calls this entity Krishna, which literally means one who attracts all. Attraction means relationship. This attraction is fundamental and not a mental imagination or sentiment. Understanding and experiencing this relationship is the deeper meaning of yoga [BG 2.46, BG 6.47].

Subal: And what is the way to achieve that?

Professor: There are various processes to achieve that end. Gita recognizes chanting the names of God as the best among them [BG 10.25] - be it in terms of accessibility, practicality, efficiency or efficacy. A person who practices these intending to be established in that fundamental relationship is called a yogi [BG 6.47, BG 15.19].

Diverse Surface Manifestations

Tina: Singing the names of God is very interesting. But what about people from other religions and faiths?

Professor: Of course, they refer to the same being as Allah, the all-powerful, or God, the supreme controller, etc. Cultural and political differences make them appear different, but science looks at the fundamental essence. We can say it is like various kinds of sports - football, hockey or basketball. They appear different but share the same spirit.

Tina: Good analogy.

Karan: Then we may also compare that to different disciplines within sciences. Condensed matter Physics, particle Physics, astrophysics, and Quantum Physics appear so different but share the same spirit. Even the experts from one discipline have a different understanding than their counterparts from another discipline.

Professor: I agree. There are some points to be noted to allow a healthy co-existence. It becomes problematic if one group thinks that they have a monopoly on Truth. Or that their understanding of Supersoul is the only correct understanding. Just like an electron is understood in diverse ways depending on its relationships with other entities.  The photoelectric effect, chemical bonding, spectroscopy, material sciences, and electronics — all describe the same electron in diverse ways.

Subal: We only discussed our relationship with the Supersoul. What about our relationship with other living beings?

Professor: Gita concludes by calling the Supersoul (Krishna) Yogeshvara - the master of all relationships [BG 18.78]. This means no relationship can exist without Krishna [BG 7.7]. Analogically, no molecular bonding can exist without electrons. Someone may focus on studying, e.g., as in chemistry, the atoms and molecules which bond together and give rise to different macroscopic properties of a material object. Atoms and molecules are not as fundamental as electrons and quarks but are composed of them and derive their properties from them. Similarly, we may study relationships between different entities, living or inert, which may not be fundamental. But all of their properties are derived from the relationship of their composing fundamental entities with Krishna [BG 7.6]. Hence, by understanding our relationship with Krishna, we can properly understand and execute our relationship with other living and material entities. In other words, caring for our fellow human beings, ethical treatment of animals or conservation of the environment becomes ingrained in our natural way of life [BG 18.7]. A yogi consciously cultivates compassion towards living beings and cares towards material objects around him/her while practising yoga in a relationship with Krishna.

They reached Mass Ave and were standing on the bridge. The dusky Boston skyline, spotted with bright lights, formed the backdrop for the sailboats beautifying the river. The students looked on at this majestic scenery while their thoughts were completely absorbed in the elegance of what they had just heard.

References

[BG x.y]  Bhaktivedanta, A. C. (1972). Bhagavad-Gita as it is. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Chapter-x, text-y.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/x/y/

[SB x.y.z]  Bhaktivedanta, A. C. (1974). Śrīmad Bhagavatam: with the original Sanskrit text, its Roman transliteration, synonyms, translations, and elaborate purports. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Canto-x, chapter-y, text-z.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/x/y/z/

[KU 2.2.13] Katha Upanishad 2.2.13

The images used AI tools such as fotor.com