Establishing a connection with Brahm, the Cosmic Consciousness - The Concept of Yoga

This video is the seventh and the last part of my attempt to unravel life's mysteries with the help of Vedas, the world acclaimed ancient texts of Classical Ancient India which are the vast reservoir of complete knowledge, which includes knowledge belonging to the physical world as well as a robust philosophy of the non-physical or spiritual world.

Video begins with a recap of how at the time of creation of the Universe, innumerable tiny parts get separated from the Cosmic Consciousness or the Cosmic Soul. Each part, called a soul, gets the covering of Maya, which produces ignorance or Avidya, which, in turn, makes it forget its true nature. It is provided with a body, generated by Maya, through which it operates in the world.

Next, the video talks about the main goal of an Individual soul, which is to elevate its level to the level of Cosmic Soul and merge with It. So the Main Challenge is to establish a connection with The Supreme Being. This process is called ‘Yoga’ in Vedas.

Yoga can be considered as a path or methodology to reach the Divine. Vedas offer not just one but four types of Yoga or four Paths or Methodologies to achieve that.

The video then discusses all these types of Yoga one by one.

The first Yoga is called Bhakti Yoga or the Path of Devotion. It is the path of complete faith in and an intense love for the Supreme Being or any of its manifestations. There should be a strong emotional connection with the Divinity and complete surrender to It. This devotion purifies the heart and mind, allowing the devotee to transcend ego so that its individual soul or Jivatma is released from the covering of Maya and merges with the Cosmic Soul or Paramatma.

The second Yoga is called Gyan Yoga or Path of Knowledge. This is the path of wisdom, inquiry and contemplation. It is the path that requires intense introspection, detachment, and deep meditation to realize the Supreme Reality residing within. Although intellectual knowledge is a starting point, true knowledge or Gyan comes from direct experience of the Supreme Reality beyond all concepts.

The third Yoga is called Karma Yoga or the path of action. the path of selfless action performed without attachment to results, and done as the worship of the Divine, called Karma Yoga. Every action should be done as a part of one’s assigned duty without self interest behind it and should be dedicated to the Supreme Being. Doing one's duty dispassionately with full dedication while constantly meditating upon Him is the way to go.

The fourth Yoga is called Raj Yoga or the path of Meditation. The fourth yoga is the path of Meditation or Dhyana, called Raj Yoga. Here the idea is to experience the Ultimate Truth, which lies within us, directly. The underlying belief is that we are not able to experience It since our minds are restless. If we make them calm and focused, we will be able to experience the Ultimate Reality. For that a seeker is required to follow an elaborate method of meditation which includes a Psycho-Physical routine.
The methodology used in Raj Yoga is derived from the Yoga Sutras written by Sage Patanjali who has given guidelines, known as Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, which are used to attain Self-Realization in this path.

The video then discusses how one should choose the right Yoga or Spiritual Path for Realizing Brahm (Also spelled as Brahman). It
Advises to augment the chosen Yoga with the good practices of other types of Yoga.