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The Fifth Lesson: Patanjali’s Yoga System.1213
Sahasrara, or “the thousand-petalled lotus.” In the lowest, or Muladhara, the
Kundalini is stored up; and the highest, or the Sahasrara, is used to distribute
it to the brain, in the production of certain forms of mental phenomena.
Then the student is taught of the virtues of the Ojas, which is a highly
concentrated form of energy stored away in the brain, or that lotus called
the Sahasrara. This Ojas is held to be the energy that manifests in intellectual
power and spiritual force. Ojas is held to be the source of the subtle power
known to the Western world as “Personal Magnetism.” But Ojas is not
confined to the brain, but a certain amount of it is distributed all over the
system. The lower forces of the body may be transformed into Ojas, says the
Yogin, particularly the energy of the Sex Nature, and so he devotes much
attention to this transmutation—hence the advocacy of celibacy among
many of the Yogins and ascetics.
The next grade in the instruction is that of Pratyahara, or the process
of making the mind introspective—that is, turning it back upon itself,
and releasing it from the power of outward impressions. This is a form of
Mental Control, of course, and requires much practice and perseverance.
The student is taught by various, tedious and complicated exercises to get
perfect control of his mind, so that he may inhibit the impressions from the
outside world at will.
The next step in the class is that of Dharana, which is the acquiring of
“One-Pointedness,” whereby the mind may be concentrated to one particular
point of thought—focused like the sun in a sun-glass. This is what is known
as “Concentration” in the West. This step is also gained only by long and
persistent practice, extending over years, and with attention to details that
are distracting to the average Westerner who attempts them. This Dharana
or Concentration is held to be the basis of the higher Yogin powers, and
psychic states, and until this is mastered there can be no further progress.
The higher Yogin states, as taught by Patanjali, are known as (1) Dhyana,
or Meditation, which is called the Seventh Step of Patanjali, and which
consists of the fixing of the mind in the most profound meditation, upon