ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तयः।।

Sadhanapada : 11-12,

साधनपाद : ११-१२,

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This is in continuation of the last post where we dealt with :

ध्यानहेयास्तद्वृत्तयः।।११।।

(ध्यानहेयाः तत्-वृत्तयः।)

Those vritti-s are to be annihilated by means of understanding them carefully.

Let us again refer to a few stanzas from the

उपदेश सारः /Upadesha-Sarah :

हृत्स्थले मनःस्वस्थता क्रिया।।

भक्तियोगबोधाश्च निश्चितम्।।१०।।

वायुरोधनाल्लीयते मनः।।

जालपक्षिवद्रोधसाधनम्।।११।।

चित्तवायवश्चित्क्रियायुताः।।

शाखयोर्द्वयी शक्तिमूलका।।१२।।

लयविनाशने उभयरोधने।।

लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम्।।१३।।

प्राणबन्धनाल्लीन मानसः।।

एकचिन्तनान्नाशमेत्यदः।।१४।।

This is how through the practice of Yoga, first the क्लेश / Klesha-s are to be diluted, then the  वृत्ति / vritti is brought to standstill by means of चित्तवृत्ति निरोधः and then attention is focused upon a certain वृत्ति / vritti. The focusing of the वृत्ति / vritti, is called एकाग्रता / one-pointeness of the attention. By practicing of focusing the attention on a single thought / वृत्ति / vritti, this vritti is temporarily dissolved. This state of dissolution of vritti is the same as the लय / laya of the मन / मानसः / mind. This लय / laya of the mind could also be brought about by the practice of प्राणायामः / prANAyAm / regulation and control of the breath. Once the state of लय / laya of the mind has been achieved, one may have a glimpse of something beyond the mind. But as soon as this state is over, and the mind comes to the usual normal waking state, one forgets all about that state beyond the mind. Then one is driven by the habits / संस्कार / samskAra. 

After having practiced this kind of Yoga for a long time, when one has experienced many a times this लय / laya, one may feel as if there is no more progress and is stuck.

The dissolution (लय / laya) of the mind has a limit. But there is a next stage when the very source of the mind gets annihilated. Let us once more refer to :

उपदेश सारः Upadesha Sarah, 

वृत्तयस्त्वहंवृत्तिमाश्रिताः।।

वृत्तयो मनो विद्ध्यहं मनः।।१८।।

अहमयं कुतो भवति चिन्वतः।।

आयि पतत्यहं निजविचारणम्।।१९।।

When such an aspirant who has stuck at this point begins to see that there is some fixed, a source from where all the vritti-s emerge out and return to the same, and tries to find out the nature and character of that source, may arrive at the conclusion that the sense of "I", the अहंकार / ego is indeed the only that fixed source.

This is variously named as ग्रन्थि, the knot of the ignorance, अहंकृतिः - the sense of I, चेतस् -the (individual) consciousness,  विबन्ध / बन्ध, the bondage, अन्तःकरण, inner senses - made of feelings, thought, intellect, memory and the sense of "I ", भव -- the sense of being and the becoming, जीव - the individual soul.

देहो न जानाति सतो न जन्म

देहप्रमाणोऽन्य उदेति मध्ये।।

अहंकृतिः ग्रन्थिविबन्धसूक्ष्म-

शरीरचेतोभवजीवनामा।।२६।।

(सद्दर्शनम्)

Then when there is intense urge to find out, this mind is annihilated in the sense that the individual identity comes to an end. This is called  मनोनाश / extinction of the individuality as a person. 

Once this has been attained, This is प्रतिप्रसवः / कैवल्यं / liberation.

क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयो दृष्टादृष्टजन्मवेदनीयः।।१२।।

(क्लेशमूलः कर्माशयः दृष्ट अदृष्ट जन्म वेदनीयः।।)

This source of vritti that is the अहं-वृत्ति or as is described variously above, is the one, who goes through the many incarnations, births, deaths and rebirths.

The only objective of practicing the Yoga is to come to the extinction of this  अहं-वृत्ति  or the mind. The लय / laya  or extinction are the two ways, but in लय / laya this ego is temporarily blocked / dissolved, while the extinction is the point of no return for the ego. 

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