When
we are walking in a thick jungle, it is possible that our clothes may get
caught in a thorny bush, and many thorns may be pulling us from different
directions. What do we do then? We stop and very slowly try to remove the
thorns, one by one. We do not pull our clothes by force, lest they should tear.
Perhaps we will remove the smaller thorns first, because their prick is mild;
and we will try to remove the bigger thorns that have gone deep later on,
gradually, stage by stage. This is exactly what to do in the practice of yoga.
Our
entanglements are manifold. Our consciousness that has lodged itself in this
body is entangled in many types of relationship – some mild, some intense, some
proximate, some remote, some visible, some invisible, and so on. Every step
that we take in yoga is a very cautious step, and the step should be taken in
such a way that it need not be retraced. Also, we will not be successful if we
are in a great hurry, because hurry is caused by a lack of proper understanding
of the prevailing conditions.
Viveka
is proper knowledge of the entire conditions and circumstances of the case.
Just as in a medical examination or a legal procedure all the circumstances of
the case have to be known thoroughly before any step is taken in rectifying the
issue, so is the case with yoga.
