chitta prasadanam - pacifying the mind

Having practiced the Raja Yoga for some years, I have summarised the overall Yoga Vedanta practice in the past blog post "Practice - Saadhana" on the other blog.

During this "practice" one need to overcome Nine vikshepas (obstacles) successfully to attain the single pointed concentration which is required for "dhyana" that leads to samadhi.

The nine vikshepas are enumerated as (Yoga Sutra 1-30):
1. disease, 2. dullness, 3. doubt
4. carelessness, 5. laziness, 6. non-detachment from sense objects
7. false-visions, 8. not attaining a state, 9. not able to sustain the state

These nine obstacles are accompanied by the symptoms of (Yoga Sutra 1-31):
1. Pain, 2. Sadness, 3. shaking of limbs of body, 4. irregular breathing

Instruction 17:
tatpratiṣedhārtham ekatattva abhyāsaḥ (YS 1-32)
tat, pratishedha, artham, eka-tatva, abhyasah.

Rishi Patanjali gives a SINGLE PRINCIPLE of PRACTICE to pacify the nine obstacles and the four symptoms of those obstacles. That is:

maitrī karuṇā muditā upekṣaṇam
sukha duḥkha puṇya apuṇya
viṣayāṇāṁ bhāvanātaḥ cittaprasādanam (YS 1-33)
maitri, karuna, mudita, upekshanam
sukha, dukha, punya, apunya
vishayaanam, bhavanatah, ciitta, prasadanam.

What is this single principle?
We come across four kinds of people/situations while on the path of Raja Yoga. They are:
sukha = Happy
dukha = Suffering
punya = Helping other to be happy
apunya = Inflicting suffering on others

It is the mind's general tendency to "desire" the sukha and punya and "hate or get angry" with dukha and apunya.

The desire is raaga and hate/anger is dvesha = the fundamental duality the mind is trapped in.

What is Maharshi Patanjali Instructing to bring the mind out of this fundamental duality?

Develop an attitude of
maitri (frindliness) towards sukha;
karuna (compassion) towards duhkha;
mudita (gladness / gratefulness) towards punya;
AND
upekshanam ( indifference / non-responsiveness) towards apunya;

This training of mind will lead to pacification / purification of chitta which is a very important part of abhyasa (practice) of Raja Yoga.

Why should one develop "upakshanam" towards "apunya"?

Hating or getting angry with the evil will leave the mind polluted by evil. The best solution is being indifferent to evil at the emotional layer.

Be compassionate to the subjects of dukha
but
be emotionally indifferent to the subjects of evil.

Lord (iswara) will take care of evil doers at the correct time. Have Faith.
But
Respond to the "situation of evil" in your own capacity applying the Karma Yoga while being emotionally indifferent as suggested by Rishi Patanjali for not getting trapped by the evil!

Due to ignorance of this principle people "react" (emotionally react) to evil, causing the evil to multiply in unending action-reaction cycle.

om tat sat