[b]I, 36, 37 ? SPECIFIC METHODS OF DHARANA FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES ? Focus on the heart
I, 36 Visoka va jyotismati
I, 37 Vita raga visayan va cittam
Or the mind
can also find peace
by contemplating
the luminous light
arising from the heart
which is the source of true serenity.
Or another way
is to make the mind?s object
a self-realized being
who has transcended
human passions and attachments[/b]
M. Stiles
There are three slightly different interpretations of sutra I,36. Swami Shyam interprets it to mean that the fruit of constant practice is the contentment which encourages the sadhaka to move deeper. While Swami Satchidananda suggests imagining a brilliant light that represents the Divine Consciousness. The mind will easily get absorbed in this light and with time the light becomes a reality.
Iyengar has a most beautiful interpretation that I will quote in its entirety: ?Here the concentration is on the innermost core of the heart, wherein alone the sorrowless, effulgent light glows. This is the seat of the soul. The mind is guided in such a way that it becomes engrossed, and penetrates towards its source. Movements in the form of thoughts in the mind are the waves, and citta, or the seat of consciousness, is the ocean. The sadhaka must learn to keep the citta motionless and thoughtfully silent, without creating waves of thought. This effort of stilling and silencing the citta brings forth the sorrowless effulgent light of the soul.
Or instead of concentrating on our own heart, we can focus on the heart of a
Self-realized being !
Iyengar, B.K.S., Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New Delhi, India: Harper Collins Publications India. 1993
Stiles, M., Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Boston, MA: Red Wheel/Weiser LLC. 2002
Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Buckingham, VA: Integral Yoga Publications. 2004
Swami Shyam, Patanjali Yog Darshan, India: International Meditation Institute, 2001, 3rd. edition.
