Objective of Yoga

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The objective of yoga is to weaken the five afflictions; ignorance, egoism, attachment, aversion and fear of death.

These are the five pains, the five-fold ties that bind us.

Ignorance is the fertile soil that bears an abundant crop of the other four afflictions.

Ignorance is the only cause of all of our misery.

Ignorance begets egoism; where there is egoism, attachment invariably exists, and aversion and fear remain side by side. Clinging to physical life or fear of death is born out of attachment. The tendency of the mind to run away from objects that cause pain is aversion.

These five afflictions remain in a dormant, attenuated, overpowered or fully developed state in our mind. This can be illustrated in a relevant situation.

For example, a person experiences a coronary heart-attack. At the time of the attack, when afflictions are fully developed, she fears she may die and all klesas (poisonous thoughts) are in effect at full speed. Later, if the chest pains re-occur, the klesas will again be accentuated.

Years later, even though she has recovered and is following a healthy lifestyle and diet, the dormant fear of having another heart-attack still lies within her subconscious.

These dormant afflictions are resolved by returning them to their causal state. Meditation controls the compounded effects of these afflictions.

When all of these afflictions are nullified by constant practice and detachment, the seer (Jivatma or Purusha) rests in its natural state - the perfect state of bliss.

Thus, yoga helps one to achieve self-realization by weakening the afflictions.