102 - Liberation From Ourselves | Patanjali Yoga Sutras | Swami Tattwamayananda

Yoga Sutras and the World of the Human Mind

Lecture by Swami Tattwamayananda. Kaivalyam, liberation means liberation from ourselves. We are trapped in a cycle of actions, mental impressions, tendencies, and then repeated action. By changing our identification we begin to evolve. Our obstacles are in the form of Klesas, obsessive likes and dislikes. This creates a conflict between what the intellect wants to do and what the mind allows us to do. The root is a wrong identification of who we are. To overcome this, the first step is the practice of friendliness, compassion, admiration, and indifference towards the happy, unhappy, virtuous, and negative. The higher powers mentioned in the Vibhuti-pada can be obtained by birth, herbs, mantras, austerities, and concentration. The only safe ones to practice are mantras and concentration practiced with ethical disciplines - Yamas and Niyamas. Verse: IV.1