CHAPTER 9 : The Ultimate Goal of Yoga
Yoga is the beginning. The end is Liberation. The goal of Yoga is to be liberated. We may be alive as a human body, but in reality, we are the Divine Soul. We are embodied or imprisoned in a body-mind complex. We need freedom. We must escape from suffering of the Ego, mind and body. The only way is to be Liberated, both when alive and after death. The only way is Yoga. Without Yoga, we cannot achieve the ultimate Goal of life.
Every human being on earth wants to be Happy. But each one of us suffers. We may be the richest or the most powerful person on earth, but we cannot escape from suffering. The body faces physical pain, the mind experiences emotional misery and the Ego cries in agony as it is hurt and disappointed. The only way to escape from all this suffering and misery is Liberation, Liberation from the ignorance of who we truly are and Liberation from the cycle of rebirth after death.
While Liberation is the only way to escape from misery, the only way to Liberation is Yoga. Without Yoga, we cannot escape from Liberation, nor can we escape from suffering. Liberation happens with self-Realization. But how can we realize the truth? Of course, we need to use our intellect to discriminate, just as we use our will power to be dispassionate and detached, as we live with self-discipline and desire the Divine. How can we do all this without being in Yoga? How can we cross this ocean of ignorance without Yoga? It is only when we are united with the Divine through contemplation that we can transcend Ego, mind and body. It is only through Karma Yoga that we can transcend Karma – the Law of Action and Reaction. It is only through Bhakti Yoga that we can overcome Bhoga, indulgence in sensual pleasures. It is only through Gyaana Yoga that we can accumulate knowledge and obtain the wisdom to realize the truth and use this Enlightenment to be Liberated from the ignorance and with it all the misery that we suffer.
A Liberated Soul who is alive will continue to face the war within but can sustain his Peace and Bliss if he lives in Yoga. Otherwise, he too can sink into this world of entanglements. If one is a true Yogi, then one continues to life with a steady intellect, being free every moment as he lives and ultimately, at death, unites with the Divine and escaping from this cycle of constant death and rebirth.
This is the ultimate Goal of Yoga – Unification with the Divine. Most of us don’t realize that this in fact, is our goal of life. We are not born on earth just to exist. Our purpose is to realize the truth, and to be Liberated so that we can become one with the Creator.
Yoga may have many benefits. It starts by creating Peace of mind. That is why Yoga teachers use simple Yoga techniques to temporarily still the mind, even for few minutes and thus impact their students with enchanting Peace, making it feel that Yoga is magical. Sure, making the mind still will create Peace, but the goal of Yoga is far bigger than just momentary Peace. The goal is to eradicate suffering completely, not just from this life, but from all possible future lives.
Isn’t it time to discover the true meaning of Yoga? Isn’t it time to overcome the myth, the false belief of what the world thinks Yoga is? Once we discover the true meaning of Yoga, and we try to be in Union, connected with the Divine, our life will be transformed. We will experience a state of ultimate Bliss, everlasting Peace and Happiness, as we transcend all misery, overcome fear and make anger, worry and stress a thing of the past.
Yoga will make us live moment by moment in Bliss and Tranquility, conscious of the truth, that we ourselves are a manifestation of the Divine. Yoga will liberate us from the pain of the body, anxiety of the mind and arrogance of the Ego, as we dance through each moment, enjoying the cosmic show on earth. Yoga will make us Accept the Divine Will, just as it will make us Surrender rather than wonder. Yoga will make us cope with every hope that doesn’t materialize, ultimately uniting us with the Divine, making us realize our true identity and liberating us from the myth that we live with.
It is time to discover the true meaning of Yoga, the gateway to Bliss and Peace and the only way to escape from misery and suffering. As we live in Yoga, we are liberated from the myth and we realize the truth, living with Joy and Tranquillity, in Yoga, in union with the Divine.