Advanced Yoga Study
By Swami Dharmananda
 


part of soul's consciousness that functions in the mind and is under the influence of cosmic delusion or Maya. Ego and the soul are both subjectively conscious entities, but they are like darkness and light unable to live together . Ego is born and is limited; the soul is immortal and unlimited. The Ego is circumscribed by age, nationality, likes and dislikes, form, possession, desire for fame—everything that serves to circumscribe and limit. It is the consciousness in the mind of man that attaches him with the body and its environment through the instruments of feeling, will and cognition. 

Moha is the basic attachment of the Ego to cosmic delusion Maya or individual delusion Avidya (wrong understanding of one's real self). Because of this attachment the mind becomes incapable of perceiving what is truth and reality. The word ‘Moha' is translated as delusion, illusion, ignorance or infatuation. Just as a man attached to anger or his personal likes and dislikes, invariable makes wrong judgments of other similarly a man in moha (ie) attached to Avidya / Maya which is wrong understanding of self cannot perceive or discern things rightly. 

Through this attachment to Avidya / Maya the limitations of the human personality gets strengthened. The Ego often gives ideas about positive things that they can do but also invariable gives ideas of things that they cannot do. This is the most dangerous aspect of being under the Ego regime, for it obstructs the development of the potentially omniscient and omnipotent power of the soul. To break this moha or attachment to Avidya / Maya (delusion) is to allow the soul to express its supremacy, establish its influence, and enlarge the manifestation of its infinite possibilities. 

Mada (Egotistic pride) 
This fault of the Ego makes the mind narrows and limited. Pride chokes and suppresses the illimitable soul qualities. Pride refers to that love for the ‘I' or ego—self that is constantly on the defensive (or offensive) to support and promote its interests. Because of this pride in the mind, arise arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, presumptuous behavior and passionate lust after desire or demands of the ‘I', ‘me', and ‘mine'. "My good name, my rights, my status, my race, my religion, my feelings. I am justified, I am better than any one else, I want, I have, I am" . Mada creates in the man a hostile power that expresses its self centered haughtiness towards others as intolerance, prejudice, bigotry or unforgiving attitude and hatred. It likes to be little or humiliate others, to gloat on their mistakes and to gossip and criticize. Pride in man repulses others, producing in them a dislike towards him. 
Even a very spiritual man may fall from a great height because of pride in his attainment. The nature of pride is such that the Ego esteems itself not only for the good it has actually attained but also for qualities that it falsely imagines it possesses. The greater the good in man, the more there is to be proud about, increasing the chances of succumbing to egoistic pride. Cunning indeed is the trap of Maya. 

Matsarya (Jealousy, envy) 
This word commonly translated as envy, in its broader sense signifies material attachment. The word derives from ‘Matsar' meaning—envy, jealousy, selfishness, hostility. The meaning of matsarya then is that, the wealth of possible possessions and attainments in the world of 

 




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Table of Contents

Introduction to Yoga
Ayurveda
Hatha Yoga
Raja Yoga
  Mind its Nature
  Concept of Kleshas
  Ego and its expressions
  Yama and Niyama
  Asanas
  Pranayana
  Pratyahara
  Concentration and Meditation
  Samadhi
  Mantra Yoga
  Svara Yoga
Kundalini Yoga
Bhagavad Gita
Miscellaneous Spiritual Aids

Book Pages
Table of Contents
Respectful Obeisance
Brief life sketch
Achievements
A Compilation
About The Author
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