Integral Yoga - Articles - A New Synthesis of Yoga

A New Synthesis of Yoga

 This synthesis will be fourfold: synthesis of the East and the West, commencing from the East and culminating into world-unity that respects and nourishes living pulsations of diversity.

Secondly, synthesis of material prosperity that can be ours with advancement of knowledge that weld together Science, Technology, Philosophy and Culture.

 Thirdly, a synthesis of spiritualised life that negates exclusivism from ideologies and isms, systems and religions.

And fourthly, a synthesis of the repositories of wisdom that are still to be pooled together from the past books of knowledge and the ever-progressive vistas of astonishing revelations that seem to be awaiting us from the present evolutionary movement which is refashioning humanity for its transmutation into super-humanity.

We stand today at the head of a new synthesis. This synthesis will be multi-dimensional, it will be a synthesis of the East and the West, as also of the old and the new. In the East, India has held a predominant position, and its cultural influence had spread during its long and unbroken history to distant countries like Japan, China, Thailand and Tibet. Again, India has had the distinction of having developed Philosophy, Psychology, Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, Medicine and a number of other sciences, arts and technologies. Unfortunately, much of this knowledge has been lost, and much that still remains needs to be recovered and correlated with the modern knowledge.

The synthesis that must come about at the present critical juncture of human history will have to take into account this vast fund of knowledge. The extent to 'which India can play its legitimate role in the making of this synthesis will determine its cultural standing in the comity of nations’.

As we read the annals of the past, we are struck by the fact that India had − fathomed deeply into the secrets of the universe and the earth as also of man and his perfection.

 There were, indeed, periods of decline and exhaustion.  But in the 18th Century, when India was in deep cultural and political slumber, it was the West which discovered India, particularly, through the discovery of Sanskrit by eminent scholars of several European countries. Learned Professors like Bignon, Duperron and Chezy initiated a pioneering work. Burnouf in Paris attracted great scholars like Max Muller Roth, Neve and others. The Indological scholarship spread in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Britain and other European countries. Parallel to this movement in Europe, Jones initiated the pioneering work in Indology through the Asiatic Society. India itself produced great scholars and reformers like Raja Rammohun Ray, Dayanand Saraswati, Keshab Chandra Sen, Rabindranath Tagore and Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar. And through the immortal work of Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo, we are today in a promising position, and the awakening of India gives us an assurance that India will be able to fulfil its mission and its destined work.

There should, however, be no complacency. A great deal of work needs to be done. In certain directions, bold initiatives require to be taken. For instance, the recovery of ancient knowledge in the context of our contemporary striving towards synthesis of science and spirituality is both urgent and imperative. As pointed out earlier_, much of this ancient knowledge lies scattered; some of it is lost or forgotten; we do not know how much of it is recoverable. There are, however, indications that if a concerted effort is made on an adequate scale, results are likely to be of immense value. The recent discovery of Vedic mathematics is a good example. That the Vedic mathematics can unlock a knowledge relevant to the computer science is quite significant. The concept of 'Saur Agni’ found in our ancient knowledge seems to be quite relevant to our recent search for the solar energy. There are also certain ideas regarding the energies of air and Water and earth_, and they need to be explored in order to see if these ideas have relevance to our present-day needs.

Among all the forces of Nature which were studies in ancient India, perhaps the most significant was that of sound. It is remarkable that sound has some kind of immortality, that it can be reproduced, and that it can produce both physical and psychological effects. Sabda Brahama is an important Indian Concept, but it has not been sufficiently explored. Can combinations of sounds produce certain predictable results? Can sound produce fire and utilisable power of electricity?  It has been explicitly recognised the need for Indological research, this provides a secure basis for the proposals, that can emerge from the reflections given in this note.  At the minimum level, one specific proposal that can be made is that a Research Institute be set up through the instrumentality of which the following tasks can be undertaken:

1. Identification of important ancient ideas which may seem relevant to our contemporary needs;
2. Identification of scholars, philosophers and Yogins who possess authentic knowledge and experience in regard to those ancient ideas;
3. Recovery of relevant manuscripts and intensive study thereof;
4. Training of high level scientists and scholars in the relevant areas
5. Creation of laboratories and workshop facilities for carrying out the required experiment
6. Interaction with the existent and relevant institutions of research;
7. Publication of the results of research, as also dissemination of knowledge through other media.

A suitable location has to be found and necessary paraphernalia have to be provided. The aim should be to attract scholars who can be deemed to have capacity to give shape to the Institute and pursue the objectives of the Institute. National lethargy has prevented explorations in the field of knowledge and important area of science. There is no doubt that the Indian genius for science has unimaginable potentialities, and given the right conditions for this genius to flower, we can expect rich harvests in terms of knowledge and culture.